Unconditionally
by Cyan Rubies
Summary: What if Toshiro had another childhood friend? Then they grew up together, attended the Academy together and joined the Gotei 13. In life, lots of unexpected things happen, but friendship is always unconditional. Toshiro and OC, RanGin and some others...
1. Hello

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**A/N: Welcome... to my new Bleach story!**

**Remember to review, favourite or follow!**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

A young girl with jet black hair remembered waking up in a tree.

Her memory was hazy, she could remember her name, her birthday, and some memories here and there.

_What in the world was she doing on a tree? If Mama saw this, she would scold me!_

She sighed and started to make her way down the tree.

Maybe she could figure out where she is.

She ran her fingers through her hair.

_Why was it so messy?_

Her fringe kept falling back into her eyes and covering it.

She sat down at the foot of the tree and tried to recall what had happened exactly.

She closed her eyes.

* * *

She could remember some dude wearing cool black robes kneeling in front of her. He was talking to her at the time. For some reason, his voice appeared to be coming from far, far away.

"Now listen here... It's not safe to stay here any longer. If you do, more monsters like the one you saw just now will come after you."

She had nodded, and the figure raised the hilt of the sword before raising it to her forehead.

"Don't worry. I'm sending you to a place where it is safe."

He stamped her forehead with the back of the sword.

Light shone out from her forehead and she could feel herself fading away slowly...

"Wait!" She called out to the figure, who had gotten up and prepared to take his leave.

"Where exactly am I going?"

The man in the black robes smiled.

"Soul Society... You'll be safe there."

She watched the man walk further and further away, before dissipating completely, and suddenly she felt like she was rising in the air.

Blackness was consuming her vision.

She yawned and closed her eyes.

_So sleepy..._

She had promptly dozed off.

* * *

_Poke._

_Poke._

The little girl's eyes snapped open and she suddenly jolted up.

Her eyes widened as she saw two strangers kneeling in front of her.

There was this pretty-looking girl with her hair tied up nicely. A little bit behind her, a boy about her age (5? 6?)stood with an annoyed look on her face.

The pretty girl currently had her back turned and she was talking to the boy.

The little girl frowned.

The boy had white hair and pretty turquoise eyes.

The two were currently squabbling.

"Oi, bedwetter Momo, is she OK or not?!"

"I don't do that anymore Shiro-chan! And for that matter I'm not sure..."

The boy made an annoyed noise.

The little girl sat up a bit, blinking rapidly in confusion as she cautiously spoke.

"...Excuse me?"

The pretty girl in front of her, who looked older than her by a few years, turned around and smiled.

"Huh? Oh! You're awake!"

The pretty girl stretched out her hand to help her up.

"You see, me and Shiro-chan here was passing by but then we saw you here!"

She and the little girl stood up.

"Oh! And in case you're wondering, my name is Momo Hinamori and this little fella here is-"

She was suddenly cut off by the white-haired boy rather rudely.

He huffed and crossed his arms, looking at Hinamori.

"I'm Toshiro. Hitsugaya Toshiro."

The little girl nodded, tilting her head as she glanced at him with wide eyes.

Hinamori turned to her, asking kindly.

"So what's your name?"

The white-haired boy, Toshiro, suddenly turned to look at her. Their gaze met and she immediately looked away in utter embarrassment (Staring was bad!), and also feeling somewhat shy.

"I'm..."

She turned back to face Hinamori , and said.

"My name is Misaki. Shinozaki Misaki."

* * *

"Aki-chan! If I may ask, what were you doing under that tree?"

Misaki was walking with Hinamori. She noticed that while Hinamori was older and taller than she was, she was the same height as the white-haired boy, Toshiro.

She looked at Momo-chan, frowning a bit.

"You see, after I woke up in that tree, I made my way down and I was trying to remember something..."

Hinamori nodded and they continued walking. Toshiro was following them from a distance.

"Momo-chan?"

"What is it, Aki-chan?"

"Where are we exactly? I know we are in Soul Society, but... Is there a name for this place in particular?"

Hinamori smiled.

"Of course!"

She smiled and gestured around herself.

"This here is Junrinan of West Rukongai. You see Aki-chan, there are 4 regions in Rukongai: North, East, South and West. In each region, there is 80 districts. The smaller the number of your district, the better the living conditions. Junrinan is District number 1 in the western zone."_**  
**_

Hinamori let out a small smile.

"We all are really lucky to be here, you know?"

Misaki agreed.

So she was lucky that she appeared in this district.

"Hey, Shiro-chan!" Hinamori suddenly turned and called out to the boy behind them.

It was then that she realised they had stopped walking, and was standing in front of a cozy little house.

"Stay here with Aki-chan, alright Shiro-chan? I'll go talk to Granny."

"Don't call me that stupid nickname, Momo the Bedwetter."

"I don't do that anymore, _Shiro-chan_!"

* * *

Misaki sat on the little porch next to Toshiro.

It was awkward.

They were just sitting there, and waiting for Hinamori to come back out.

Misaki wondered if she was imagining it, but...

Toshiro seemed to be rather cold.

Maybe it was just his body language that had given her that impression in the first place.

Silence. Silence that for some reason, seemed to be very loud. (Was that even possible?)

Suddenly, a purr was heard, and a black little tabby cat came into view.

She resisted the urge to squeal and run over and start admiring the adorable little kitten.

Misaki really loved cats.

She wondered if it would be weird if she just randomly walked over and play with the cat. Especially when the atmosphere was already awkward...

"Hey."

She jumped and turned to look at Toshiro. She blinked as she tilted her head and replied.

"Hi."

There was silence for a few moments. Then...

"You want to play with that cat over there, don't you?"

Misaki jumped and looked at him, surprised.

_How did he..._

"Just go. I won't mind."

Misaki blinked, registering his words. Then, she broke into a childish grin.

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-kun!"

Then, she practically made a beeline towards the cat. She plopped down onto the ground and petted it. It rubbed its head against her hand affectionately.

She looked up and smiled at him.

"How did you know that?"

Toshiro shrugged and looked at her playing with the cat looking somewhat amused.

"How do I put it... It was obvious to me."

Misaki nodded and stood up.

"I see..."

She petted the cat a last time before it walked away.

She grinned at Toshiro.

"Hey! You're really smart!"

Toshiro looked confused by the random statement.

"From now on, I'll call you Toshi-kun."

Toshi-kun twitched. He sighed as he stood up.

"_What_... is with girls and stupid nicknames?"

He sighed as he retorted.

"Huh? _Crazy cat lady_?"

He turned towards her, his eyebrows raised as he glanced at Misaki, gauging her reaction.

"H-Hey! That's not fair! Toshi-kun is a flattering nickname, OK?"

She walked up to him.

" 'Toshi' means 'Bright' and 'Intelligent'! It's suits you perfectly... Also..."

Toshi-kun sighed indifferently.

"I'm not a crazy cat lady! Don't be so mean, _Toshi-kun_!"

* * *

"Me, Shiro-chan and Granny has been staying here together for about a few months now! Or rather, Granny and Shiro-chan took me in about a few months ago."

Hinamori sat with them, as she thoughtfully bit a piece of watermelon.

"Now that I think about it..."

She turned to Misaki, who was helping herself to a slice of watermelon.

"You must be about the same age as Shiro-chan!"

Misaki blinked. It would be so strange if that was true.

So, watermelon in hand, she turned to face Toshiro.

"Toshi-kun. When where you born?"

Toshiro answered between chomps of watermelon. He really, _really_ liked watermelons.

Misaki gaped.

"Toshi-kun. My birthday is 5 days after yours."

Toshiro continued eating his watermelon. He looked up before answering.

"So it's true... I knew you were younger than me."

He continued to eat watermelons relentlessly.

Hinamori clapped her hands together.

"Wow... Five days apart, but otherwise the same age as Shiro-chan..."

As if on impulse, Toshiro suddenly started to spit watermelon seeds rapidly at Hinamori.

"Ah! Shiro-chan, stop it!"

"Don't call me that nickname, Bedwetter Momo!"

He then fired some watermelon seeds at Misaki. She protested immediately.

"H-Hey!"

"You also! Misaki the crazy cat lady!"

"I'm _not_ a crazy cat lady, Toshi-kun! Give me another nickname!"

* * *

"Aki-chan, come here!"

Hinamori grabbed hold of her and had her sit on a stool.

"What is it, Momo-chan?"

"Aki-chan... It's time that you got a new hairstyle! Your hair is too messy, you know. Let me tidy it up for you."

Misaki knew that Hinamori was being nice, so she decided that she would just go along with it. Not that she really cared of her hair was messy or neat!

Hinamori placed a towel over Misaki's shoulders and started to comb her hair. She then carefully trimmed parts of her hair and her fringe.

"Here! Take a look!"

Momo-chan did a great job with her hair.

Instead of the messy bundle it was last time, her shoulder-length was now neater, and instead of her fringe covering her eyes, it was now cut in bangs that had a portion parted to the right side of her face. There was also bangs framing the sides of her face.

"Thank you! You're really good at this, Momo-chan!"

Misaki grinned as she tackled Hinamori in a hug.

She then had an idea.

"Hm... You should give Toshi-kun a haircut one day too..."

Hinamori's eyes lit up.

"Huh?...That's a great idea! I'll start thinking of a haircut for him right away!"

...

Somewhere outside the house eating watermelons, Toshiro sneezed.

He rubbed his nose.

"Did I... catch a cold?"

* * *

After a few months of happiness spent living together with Toshi-kun, Hinamori and Granny, one day, Hinamori came to talk to Misaki and Toshi-kun about something.

Misaki wondered what it was about.

Toshiro had a distant look on his face. It was almost as if he was scared of what he was going to hear.

And Misaki knew that Toshiro never got worried or scared, and that what Hinamori was going to tell them was a really serious matter.

However, even when Misaki thought she was prepared for the unexpected, what Hinamori said when she walked in shocked her to the core.

"Shiro-chan, Aki-chan... I'm going to attend an Academy to train to become a Shinigami. I'll be leaving tomorrow in the morning."


	2. To be a Shinigami

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Remember to review, favourite or follow!**

**Chapter 2 of my new Bleach story. Tell me what you think ^^**

* * *

Misaki remembered the day Hinamori told them her decision .

A Shinigami was another words, a Death God. From what she understood, a Shinigami was the one who sent her here to Soul Society. It turned out that Hinamori had applied for and taken the entrance exam one day on her own.

Misaki let her, of course.

How could she not? If Hinamori wanted to become a Shinigami, she didn't have a right to stop her.

However, she could tell that Toshiro didn't want to let Hinamori go. The look on his face was enough to give it away his sadness.

Yet, he put on a big smile, and told her not to worry about it, and to do her best.

It saddened both of them, the day they, along with Granny, watched her leave in her new uniform.

Hinamori's leaving for the Academy also meant that there was no one to take care of themselves anymore. Her leaving... It meant them growing up.

And so they did.

Hinamori visited every time she had a day off.

Toshiro always acted nonchalant and annoyed at her, but she could tell that her was secretly glad to see her again.

That day off would be spent talking, eating watermelons together and enjoying each other's company. Just like old times.

But at the end of the day, she would leave, once again.

* * *

It all started about 3 to 4 years later. When Hinamori had been enrolled for about 4 years.

One night, Misaki had the strangest dream.

She was walking around the streets of Junrinan, when suddenly, a chilly breeze blew.

When she looked up, the world was spinning, for some reason. And the daylight suddenly became a blur in her eyes, and the darkness of nighttime swallowed up the remaining light as if a monster on the prowl. The only source of light was a crescent moon in the sky, which for some reason had a tinge of red at its side.

Suddenly, the moons disappeared, and icy winds began to tug at her hair.

She closed her eyes, and opened it.

There was a pure white cat sitting in front of her. It was wearing a black collar with a crescent moon dangling from it. There was also silver ribbons trailing from its paws and tail. However, for the strangest reasons, its eyes were closed, and it seemed to be smiling.

She smiled at the cat, before starting to walk towards it.

As soon as she took a step forward, a blast of cold wind came her way, pushing her back.

There was also a bright light, a blinding light that glared at her as she shut her eyes and stood her ground, not letting the wind blow her back any further.

A voice rang in her mind suddenly.

It was strange... It was like someone was speaking within her.

_Are you worthy?_

The voice that sounded very much like hers asked.

The icy winds and the light got stronger and stronger.

She struggled, managing to take a step forward.

The voice fell silent, before starting to speak again.

Everything turned back to normal. She was still in the pavement, surrounded by darkness.

The cat was sitting there, it's eyes still closed.

The voice spoke again.

_My name is..._

She reached out a hand to touch the cat, but then it faded away completely. So did the voice.

That was when she woke up, shivering, and realized the night was colder than ever.

* * *

"You've been having nightmares, Toshi-kun?"

They were sitting side by side on the porch outside. Granny was resting inside.

Toshiro didn't retort at the nickname. It seems that he had finally accepted the flattering nickname she had given him.

Toshiro nodded.

She had grown a lot more comfortable around him. With Hibamori gone, they spent most of the time talking together or chatting with Granny together.

However, for some reason, the kids in the village always avoided both of them. She didn't know why, but they just _did._

"What did you dream of, Toshi-kun?"

He was silent for a while.

"A dragon. And ice."

She fell silent, before speaking once again.

"I dreamt of the night. There was a crescent moon, lots of snow and light."

She sighed.

She paused, before adding quietly.

"There was also a cat."

Toshiro was silent as he contemplated what she said.

"Hm." He replied, before adding.

"I knew you were a crazy cat lady."

* * *

They leaned against a nearby tree..

Granny was inside resting, and Misaki was worried.

Granny had been growing sickly at late. She had went out and gotten some spare blankets, but there was no significant improvement in her health.

What scared her, was that neither she or Toshiro felt cold. She was starting to wonder if Granny was sick. That wouldn't be good. At all.

Their little house was quite far from the shops, and she didn't know of a nearby clinic.

Suddenly, she felt some footsteps nearby, accompanied by some laughter.

She looked up.

There was a boy and a girl standing nearby and talking. They were some of Hinamori's friends before she left for the Academy.

Misaki took a step forward.

"Hey."

She had been planning to ask them if they knew of a clinic, but they took a step back.

Toshiro looked up, and they started backing away.

They sighed in unison, walking back to the house.

There was a kind of feeling in her... She wasn't sure what it was.

It felt like...

_Pain._

* * *

They sat on the edge of the porch.

Misaki wondered why the other kids disliked she and Toshiro so much

Did she... look scary?

The way she talked?

Or maybe she was just cold.

Was she...?

Suddenly, she felt Toshiro shove something in front of her.

She looked at it in surprise.

She was holding a half of a watermelon.

Glancing at the watermelon half and Toshiro's, she realised that he had deliberately given her the larger half.

He looked away, the look on his face one of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Just take it. You could use some watermelon. Eat it if you don't want to stay short."

Misaki smiled at the sweet gesture.

However, as his words sank in, a tick mark appeared on the back of the head.

"Toshi-kun."

She turned towards him, and smiled.

"Thank you."

He returned the smile with a small one of his own.

She suddenly started to spit out the watermelon seeds at him.

"Oi, what are you doing?!" Toshiro fended off the seeds before retaliating with a few of his own.

"We're the same height, Toshi-kun. You need to eat more than I do."

Misaki gave him the remainder of her watermelon.

He sighed, clearly exasperated.

Taking the watermelon and eating a bite, he opened his mouth to thank her when she interrupted him.

"Thank me when you're taller."

A few watermelon seeds flew away.

* * *

"We're out of jelly beans."

Toshiro was looking through the larder as he remarked.

"Yeah."

Granny really liked jelly beans.

"I'll go and get some. Misaki, you stay here and look after Granny, OK?"

Misaki smiled and watched him go.

It saddened her.

Even as Toshiro walked away to buy those jelly beans, the children from the house beside them were obviously avoiding him.

They turned around and met her gaze.

Immediately turning away, one of the boys grabbed his sister's hand, as they ran off, whispering to each other.

Sighing, she took a seat next to Granny, and waited for his return.

* * *

Toshiro was lying in bed, feeling _very _troubled.

A bag of jelly beans lay on the table.

Granny was sleeping peacefully, as was Misaki, who was snoring lightly from the other side of the room next to Granny.

He smiled softly at her.

As he recalled the events of the day, he found himself getting more and more confused.

Who was that lady in the shop?

It wasn't just that she wore clothes different than the rest of the villagers, she had been wearing black-coloured robes.

But not only that. The lady had this aura of power around her, that stood out from the rest of the village.

That could only mean one thing.

That lady was a Shinigami.

While contemplating the fact, he yawned quietly before closing his eyes, and going back to sleep.

He soon regretted it, for another nightmare of a dragon and lots of ice plagued his dreams.

* * *

Misaki jolted up from her futon.

She looked around her, reminding herself that she was in her little house with Granny and Toshiro, and not wandering the streets of Rukongai.

She sighed. She had that dream again, the dream about the moon, the snow and the cat. Only that the dream kept getting worse and worse. The crescent moon that appeared in her dream looked almost blood red, the cold winds kept getting colder and colder, and the bright light blinded her completely.

Rubbing her eyes, she turned around to glance at Granny and Toshiro, only to find in horror that Granny was shivering uncontrollably.

She immediately got up to fetch the extra blankets that she had gotten, tucking one around Granny.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew from beside Granny.

Misaki's eyes widened as she walked over to Toshiro. Waves of coldness was radiating off him.

_What's going on?_

That was when she realised that she, too had waves of coldness radiating off her.

* * *

Suddenly, she felt someone standing outside the door and about to enter.

She hurriedly tucked a blanket around Toshiro as well before scrambling back into her futon, just as that person entered the house.

She peeked over the top of her blankets as the figure walked towards Toshiro.

Misaki should have probably attacked the intruder or something, but something told her that the intruder meant no harm.

Cautiously, still lying down, she glanced at the intruder who was standing over a now-awake Toshiro.

_Who is she?_

* * *

"You're from this afternoon..."

Toshiro looked up at the orange-haired lady with wide eyes.

The lady was silent for a while.

Then, she spoke, her voice serious.

"Kid, you should hide your reiatsu when you're sleeping."

She then looked over at Misaki, who was still pretending to be asleep.

"You too."

Misaki immediately sat up, her eyes widening.

_How did she..._

"Your grandmother looks cold. That extra blanket won't work, by the way. We're dealing with spiritual pressure and not the elements here."

She sighed.

"Both of you... you should become Shinigami. "

She turned to Toshiro, picking him up roughly with one hand, ignoring his protests.

"I only expected you to have powerful reiatsu, but it turns out that your friend here... Has some of her own as well."

She sighed and gestured for Misaki to come over.

The pretty lady ruffled her hair, before looking at Toshiro seriously.

"If you don't... Your powers will eventually kill your grandmother."

* * *

The lady's name was called Rangiku Matsumoto.

Toshiro sighed.

Misaki seemed to really like that woman.

"Rangiku-chan, what's it like being a Shinigami?"

He watched as she sat at the woman's feet and listened as the lady told her stories about Shinigami and her adventures.

Toshiro gave a grudging smile as Misaki burst out in laughter.

Misaki seemed to look up to the woman in some way, like the way she looked up to Hinamori.

Toshiro picked up a glass of water and sipped from it.

"Rangiku-chan, do you have someone you like?"

Misaki suddenly blurted out, as Toshiro nearly choked on his water.

Rangiku looked at the girl in puzzlement.

Misaki smiled before adding.

"If you do, I'll think of him like my onii-chan!"

* * *

Rangiku smiled at the young girl. She did have a person in mind, but it was unlikely that the person and little Misaki would ever meet unless she became a Shinigami. However, she glanced at Toshiro and laughed at the look on his face.

She nudged Misaki before asking.

"But don't you think he is like your onii-chan?"

She pointed at Toshiro, who looked up, with a hopeful expression on his face.

Misaki smiled.

"No. He's just Toshi-kun."

Toshiro twitched as a vein pulsed on the top of his forehead.

Then, he got up, and walked over to Granny, who was still asleep. Noticing his gesture, Rangiku got up and ruffled Misaki's hair.

"Goodbye, Misaki. I'll see you soon. Stay safe."

She looked pointedly at Toshiro.

He sighed.

"Like I'll let anything happen to her."

Rangiku beamed in satisfaction, before leaving.

"You two... Consider the offer, OK?"

And with that, she disappeared.

* * *

Misaki could still feel traces of Rangiku's power around.

What had Rangiku-chan called it?

_Reiatsu?_

She then looked up and glanced at Toshiro, who was sitting beside Granny, who was still sleeping.

It was then did she realise how thin Granny had grown.

And according to Rangiku-chan, she and Toshiro had been the cause of it.

_"If you don't... Your powers will eventually kill your grandmother."_

They were now waiting for her to wake up, so they could tell her their decision.

They didn't have to discuss about it. They already knew what each other was going to do.

They were going to learn how to become Shinigami. To take responsibility for their powers. To learn to control it properly, to follow in Hinamori's footsteps.

To protect Granny.

* * *

As Misaki and Toshiro made their way into Seireitei, all she can think of was the sad but accepting look on Granny's face.

She had agreed to them going, seemingly having already predicted it somehow. There was even this look of pride on her face. It pained her that they would not be able to look after Granny anymore, but with them leaving, it meant Granny could now recover properly.

Both of them was now headed to the Shin'o Academy for the entrance exam. If they passed the entrance exam, they would be able to enroll as students of the Shin' o Academy.

Both of them walked to this lady sitting at a desk outside one of the examination rooms. As she took down both of their names, she handed them each a number card, Toshiro's being #98 while Misaki's being #99.

"These are your numbers. Go into to the room that is available when that screen over there flashes your number."

The lady adjusted her glasses, before remarking.

"There is certainly a lot of people this year. Usually there isn't this many people."

She dismissed them, before wishing them luck.

Misaki gasped. Where they had been standing a long queue had formed, and three additional registration tables had been set up next to the one they had been standing at.

She looked up at the giant screen that was temporarily set up over the courtyard. Glancing up at the screen, she saw that it was only #45.

Toshiro and herself sighed in unison. It was going to be a _long_ wait.

* * *

Misaki was relieved that she and Toshiro came early in the morning. Now about two hours later, the screen was now only #81. Misaki had caught sight of an unfortunate someone holding up a number in the 3 digits that was far from 100. They had seek refuge from the blazing sun by hiding in a tree, where they could see the numbers on the big screen clearly.

She started to wonder. What would they be tested on for the exam? What were they looking for? Would she even pass it?

"Misaki. In case you're wondering, they'll be testing us to see if we have reiatsu. And we do have reiatsu, so stop worrying yourself."

She sighed. She sometimes wondered if Toshiro could secretly read minds.

"Also, I don't read minds. I make a smart guess by reading your expressions."

Misaki sighed, crossing her arms and turning away.

She heard the sound of fabric as she turned around.

Toshiro had just opened a bag of amanatto. He must have gotten them when she was at home with Granny.

He poked one into his mouth before passing her one.

"You're going to have to eat something. We haven't had breakfast yet. And it's going to be our turn soon anyway."

Smiling at his gesture, Misaki took one of the syrup-coated beans, poking it into her mouth.

"Thank you, Toshi-kun."

She smiled, chewing on the sweet treat. She could feel Toshiro twitching on the other side of the tree bark, sitting on his own branch and holding back a retort.

"Though I still like ice-cream better... You know what to get my for my birthday, _Toshi-kun!_"

Toshiro popped another of the amanatto into his mouth, biting down on it, sighing.

"You're too noisy... If you shut up mostly and get into the Shin O' Academy with me then I'll get you ice-cream."

Misaki smiled as she sighed.

"Do you promise it, Toshiro?"

Even though they were separated by the tree bark, she could already see him rolling his eyes. She glanced over.

There was a small smile on his face, presumably from the lack of what he dubbed the annoying nickname.

"Yeah. Whatever."

* * *

The giant screen hanging in the middle of nowhere flashed and changed. It flashed once, and then twice.

**#98- Room 2**

Toshiro looked up, and with a serious look on his face, he stowed away the bag of amanatto in his pocket.

He hopped onto the ground, before turning around and looking upwards, raising his eyebrows at Misaki who was still sitting on the branch.

"See you later?"

She smiled, when suddenly the giant screen flashed again with the number.

**#99- Room 3**

She hopped down the tree branch as well, walking up to him. He turned around as they exchanged glances.

"C'mon, let's go. All the best, OK?"

Toshiro gave a nod.

Just before she entered the room, she vaguely heard Toshiro muttering about how he had better see her in the Academy.

She smiled and glanced back at his retreating figure, before walking into the examination room with a deep breath.

* * *

There was a pretty woman wearing spectacles standing in the room. She was holding a sort of device, and there was machines all around the room. The device that she was holding looked akin to that a scanner, and it was attached to a computer. There was this little chair in the middle of the room.

"Hello there. You are Shinozaki Misaki? "

Misaki nodded, as she swallowed down a gulp.

"Please take a seat on this chair. I will need you to close your eyes, and relax yourself as much as possible. If you can't relax, either think up of a memory that you've experienced once or try to fall asleep."

Misaki nodded, sitting on the chair and closing her eyes, wondering how her reiatsu level could be assessed by the way the lady had stated.

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, thinking that she couldn't sleep.

However, there seemed to be comfort that Toshiro was next door, possibly doing the same thing, and that was probably what lulled her to sleep in the end.

* * *

_Dreaming..._

Misaki peeked out of the front door.

She was in Granny's house, and she was looking for Toshiro.

She frowned, taking a few steps out of the house before finally spotting him. And resisting the urge to giggle at him.

He had fallen asleep underneath the big tree near their house. A leaf had fluttered down and landed on his snowy hair. There was also the most adorable little cat snuggling in his arms.

Her slight giggles turned into a smile at the sight of him snoring peacefully, and holding a sleepy cat at the same time.

Any other day, she might have woken him up by cruel means (Like poring water on him)

But today, she simply walked over to him, and sat down beside him, ruffling his hair gently and in affection, before scratching the white-coloured cat behind his ears.

Then, a yawn escaped her mouth as she leaned back and closed her eyes, not before casting another glance at Toshiro.

Grinning, she thought to herself that Toshi-kun must like cats much more than he let on.

* * *

She sat up abruptly.

Rubbing her eyes, she found that she was sitting on a pavement.

For some reason, it was nighttime. Misaki blinked, confused at how she got here.

A cold wind was blowing, and she shivered. Where was Toshiro? How did she get here? What was this place anyway?

The pavement she was sitting on... It didn't seem to end, and the only source of light around was the moon.

Not just any moon though... A pretty crescent moon...

She suddenly rubbed her eyes.

Was it just her... Or was the moon _red?_

In a mixture of fear and uncertainty, she tentatively took a few steps, when suddenly, a cat appeared in front of her.

It had its eyes closed, and it was smirking like a little Cheshire Cat.

Smiling at the feline creature, she gently reached out to it to pet it.

"_My name... It's..."_

When suddenly, she was engulfed by blinding light and the icy cold, accompanied by the feeling that she was falling.

Falling into a pit made of the darkness of the night, the last thing she saw was the mysterious, smiling cat.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open, and she panted slightly, looking wildly around her.

The lady was now sitting behind the computer, frowning as she entered a few things into the computer.

Misaki realised the lady had wrapped the scanner she was holding around her arm with a piece of fabric. A wire trailed from the scanner and connected into the computer.

The lady got up, adjusting her spectacles.

She looked at Misaki, smiling. Misaki frowned as she realised the lady was shivering for some reason.

"That went... well. I would now like to ask you if you saw anything in your dream."

Misaki thought about her dream. It was the one she had been dreaming for these few months, not entirely the same, but not different either.

So, in great detail, she told the lady everything that appeared in her dream. The lady took down notes, and the look on her face was a surprised one.

"Thank you. We would like you to stay around the compound for until all the exams are over. We will then gather all the applicants in the courtyards at the end of the day and hand out your letters. The letters will determine whether or not you get accepted into the Academy, and if so, what class you will get into."

The lady smiled at her, or she tried to, before gesturing to her that she could leave.

She still looked shocked, maybe even... afraid.

It terrified Misaki, and there was nothing she would left the room. She didn't want to stay there, at any rate.

She had so many questions. What happened? Why was the lady so shocked? What did an eight year old like herself do to frighten the lady in her twenties?

Outside, Toshiro was waiting, his eyebrows raised.

Not saying anything, she grabbed his hand as she pulled him away, and back to the tree they were in before.

Where they would wait for their results. Whether they could get into the Shin O' Academy.

Toshiro must have sensed her anxiety, for he remained silent and allowed himself to be led away.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^**

**Sorry if the last part was full of angst...**

**Leave a review? Favourite? Follow?**

**Please?**

**Btw, Misaki called Rangiku, 'Rangiku-chan' because she admires Rangiku and looks at her like a sister. Do note that Misaki and Toshiro are about 8 years old in the current timeage.**

**Also, would you all like...**

**Renji X Rukia or Ichigo X Rukia?**

**********Just so you know, you see the review section that apparently I reviewed... but that's not me... That was only my sister using the computer... The review doesn't count if it's just my sis being nice ._. **

******So now there's only 1 review.**

******Sorry if there was misunderstandings :(**

*******To my sister who's (probably) seeing this now: DON'T USE MY ACCOUNT, MAKE YOUR OWN**


	3. Acceptance and Trouble

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, sadly!**

**Thanks a bunch to Fear Nevermore, Guest, Esta2000 and Guest for reviewing the story so far! :)**

* * *

Misaki sat on her side of the tree, sitting with her arms crossed and back against the tree trunk.

Letting out a long sigh, she tilted her heads upward, glancing at the sky.

It was peaceful, where fluffy white clouds drifted almost lazily across the beautiful sky.

The complete opposite of the turmoil she was going through inside.

Questions. Doubts. Worries. They ate into her mind and plagued her with more. She thought of the look of horror on the lady's face, and wondered what it us that she did that made the lady seem so scared of her.

She took a deep breath, and looked up at the giant screen. It had been at the very least 7 hours since she and Toshiro had taken the entrance exam. He had went to take a nap, insisting that growing children needed their sleep if they wanted to grow taller.

She peered behind the tree trunk behind her, and smiled as she was met with the sight of him, who turned out to really be sleeping.

Turning away, she read the numbers on the screen, realizing that the words were now etched in red, possibly meaning that the examinations were ending.

Hopefully, it would be soon.

She thought about what would happen if she didn't get in. She couldn't stay with Granny, Rangiku-chan had said that it was possible that Toshiro and herself might kill Granny with their reiatsu.

So that meant that she would have to stay alone, if that happened.

But could she see Granny if that was to happen? Would it endanger Granny if she visited her for short durations at a time?

But if she wasn't accepted, that would mean that Toshiro would be alone in school, by himself. That was another thing that she was worried about. Misaki had seen the way the villagers acted around Toshiro and herself. They were hostile, and sometimes even angry or scared of them for hardly any reason at all. She didn't know if that would change if they got into the Academy.

Toshiro was bound to get in, of course. But what about herself? She had probably freaked herself out to the point where her own sense of intuition had completely disappeared.

Sighing, she turned to the side and watched as an applicant made his way into Room 2.

Deciding to take Toshiro's advice, she closed her eyes, wondering if she would be able to sleep.

* * *

Misaki yawned. Surprisingly, she hadn't had the dream of the cat and the moon.

She blinked when she noticed Toshiro sitting a few inches from her. He glanced at her, and upon seeing her now awake, he immediately spoke.

"Misaki. The last person came out about 20 minutes ago. They should be making an announcement around now..."

Misaki sat up, and looked around. She estimated it to be around 4 to 5 in the afternoon. Then, she sighed. She and Toshiro had arrived and registered at around 8 to 9 in the morning.

And indeed the announcement came.

"All applicants are to report to their respective invigilators according to your examinations room in the courtyard. I repeat, all applicants are to report to their respective invigilators according to your examinations room in the courtyard."

Misaki and Toshiro walked to the courtyard, without splitting up.

She took a deep breath, and silently wished Toshiro all the best before running off to find the lady invigilator from Room 3.

There was a lot of people standing in the space dedicated to Room 3. Apparently, the invigilator along with her assistants will be giving out letters that will state whether or not you managed to get in the Shin O' Academy. They would call out your name, and you will have to go to the front to receive your letter. If you got in, they would state what class you got in. If you didn't, you would just have to try again next year.

Misaki glanced over at the middle of the courtyard, where the applicants examined in Room 2 where assembled. She spotted a familiar bunch of white snowy hair and smiled softly.

She tried to swallow down her anxiety and instead watched as applicants went up to the lady invigilator one by one, most of them opening the letters at once. There was lots of applicants who were teenagers and even some adults. But she could tell she was the only child here.

They opened the envelopes, and while some looked happy and full of glee, others looked sad and mournful. Misaki frowned upon seeing someone burst out in tears.

She focused on Toshiro's figure in the distance, while letting out a sigh, pondering about her results.

_All the best, Toshi-kun. You'll get in for sure._

* * *

"Shinozaki Misaki."

Misaki unconsciously took in a deep breath as she stepped forward, walking towards the lady invigilator.

She could hear whispers start to break out. The other applicants where probably speculating and gossiping about how.

How disgraceful. Misaki might be young but at least she wasn't so mean as to judge people from their appearance. They were probably already thinking about how she was bound to get rejected.

She clenched her fists and walked up to the lady invigilator with her head held high, refusing to show any sort of weakness. Even 8 yea-olds had their sense of pride.

However, it was with trembling hands that she took the envelope and it was with haste did she run back to her spot in the crowd. Everyone's eyes were on her.

She glanced over at Toshiro and saw that he too, had received his letter. He was currently walking back into the crowd, looking thoroughly calm and relaxed.

Misaki looked at the envelope in her hands, and it was with resolve did she peel open the shiny brown envelope and unfurled the piece of paper in it.

Her eyes widened, as she let out a gasp.

...

_To: Shinozaki Misaki_

_Congratulations! You have been accepted into the Shin O' Academy!_

_Do note that we expect you to be present in school for the first day of lessons a week from now on. You may receive your school supplies, includng your lesson materials and your uniforms at the General Office any day in the week to come!_

_Report to school by 8 am that day and be sure to pack any belongings for the Shin O' Academy has dormitories where all students will stay in._

_We are also pleased to say that you have gotten into the first class of all the applicants, and that you have been ranked 2nd upon all the promising students!_

_We look forward to seeing you, and we wish you luck for your journeys ahead._

_From: Shin O' Academy_

_..._

A small smile appeared on her face as she dramatically let out a sigh of relief. Looking over at Toshiro and catching his satisfied and happy expression, she grinned before running over to him.

She got 2nd in the rankings... It confused her... If she had done so well, why was the lady so horrified? If so, how did Toshiro's invigilator act around him?

Glancing at the way Toshiro seemed to have lifted a weight from his shoulders, and the expression on his face...

She could safely assume that it was he who got the first in rankings.

_Dang, Toshi-kun. Why are you so smart?_

It was as if Toshiro already knew her result, as he gestured at her to follow him to the General Office to pick up their stuff.

She smiled.

_At least we're in the same class. At least..._

_We won't be alone. Not until one of us graduates, anyway._

* * *

At first, it turned out that even people with a considerable amount of spiritual power avoided them. Since Toshiro and Misaki were in the same class, they stuck together, held fast like glue. Everyone else avoided them, and Misaki wondered why.

The only senpai's who properly introduced themselves and were nice, was Hinamori's group of friends. Hinamori was pleasantly surprised upon knowing the news, and Misaki was glad that they might see Hinamori more often. Hinamori made good friends. There was a cool red-haired guy called Renji with tattoos and a guy called Kira who had blonde hair and seemed nice enough. Renji introduced them to his good friend Rukia, she was really pretty with her short and slightly spiky hair and her deep purple eyes. Her reiatsu also felt the same as she and Toshiro's.

Misaki liked Hinamori's friends.

In class, with each assessment, the rankings consistently showed up as Toshiro as the first, Misaki as the second. It was funny how they could already predict the rankings based on where the teacher was looking- Sensei would forever be looking at the pair of students who sat in the first row whenever he read out the positions for class.

Needless to say, Misaki knew that no one in the class was as hardworking as Toshiro. He was the only one who cornered the teacher after school, the only one who asked for more practices. Sometimes she even went with him to the library to study what they've have learned. Toshiro even borrowed books meant for the 2nd years, 3rd years, 4th years... Sometimes Misaki thought that how much Toshiro knew was about on par as a 5th or 6th year.

Misaki bet that he would graduate at the end of the year. The students were free to take their graduation tests any time they wanted, if they feel they are prepared for it. With a teacher's approval, of course!

Not only that, but Toshiro was exceedingly close to achieving his shikai. He would probably attain full mastery in a few months. Hm.. He might even achieve bankai soon.

'Toshi-kun' was a fitting name for someone of Toshiro's intellect and demeanor.

She sighed.

What about herself? She probably was not yet close to achieving shikai.

She estimated that if she meditated everyday like she did, it would probably awaken early next year. In which Toshiro would probably be gone.

And so, she decided that she would graduate as soon as she mastered her shikai.

Toshiro was a good friend. It was because of him that she developed a habit to complete her homework quickly, and she liked going with him to the peaceful library. Occasionally, they practiced with wooden swords together. Toshiro was practically an all-rounder. Misaki wasn't as skilled as him when it came to fighting with swords, but it, along with kido, was more of her strong areas. Man, she sucked in hakuda.

She frowned as a few familiar figures approached herself and Toshiro, their faces twisted into sadistic smirks.

* * *

Sure, Misaki and Toshiro were ignored, but that didn't mean that there wasn't some stuck-up meanies who went out of their way to bully them.

The sight before them was evidence of that. They were the pre-teenage bunch about 12-14, other wise known as the bunch of people who came from the last class yet hated those in the first class for no reason. Misaki and Toshiro was their targets most of the time since they were so detached from the rest of the class.

Toshiro immediately got up to leave, with Misaki following suit.

One of them immediately came up to Misaki and yanked on the end of her ponytail.

She sighed, letting the insults they spewed bounce off herself.

She went over to Toshiro.

"C'mon." She murmured under her breath. "Let's go before anymore shows up."

As soon as she said that, about another 5 of them showed up, surrounding them completely.

Toshiro gave a sigh. Misaki looked around them. It was completely empty.

_This isn't good... Not even Toshiro and I can hold off 10 people who are twice our size..._

Suddenly, one of the bullies suddenly pushed Toshiro. He stumbled forward a few steps, before throwing a punch at the bully. The bully simply stepped backwards.

"Hey," One of them spoke, leering, talking to one of his buddies.

"Do you think we'll get in the top class if we defeat the top students?"

One other spoke, grinning stupidly.

"Maybe!"

Misaki sighed.

She looked at Toshiro, who was glaring at them, looking thoroughly annoyed.

Glaring at the bullies with his teal-coloured eyes, he spoke.

"You're wasting our time. Get lost."

The guys laughed at them.

Misaki clenched her fists. Who did these guys think they are, anyway?

The leader of the gang sneered in return, answering in a mocking tone.

"Make us get lost, then- AAH!"

He was interrupted as Misaki abruptly punched him in the stomach. Even if she wasn't good at Hakuda, it didn't mean she couldn't throw a punch or two.

She quickly grabbed Toshiro's hand. Making use of the confusion, she quickly dragged him and started to run.

Panting heavily, she realised that the bullies were still hot on their heels.

The leader, looked enraged. He pointed at both of them.

"GET THEM!"

It wasn't very long before they were surrounded again. It didn't help that Toshiro and Misaki were short and had short legs, and that they hadn't learnt shunpo yet.

Misaki's eyes widened as a fist suddenly made contact with her stomach. She barely let out a gasp as pain coursed throught her body and she was sent flying backwards.

She coughed, and opened her eyes, slowly getting up, her stomach clutching her stomach.

She glared at the perpetrator.

The leader of the bullies were smirking, delighted at having gotten his revenge. Misaki defiantly spat at his direction. Not very ladylike, but who would care?

There was a sudden flare of reiatsu, and the surroundings suddenly freezing cold.

_Toshiro..._

He was going to get hurt. Misaki tried to pull him back, while wondering if punching the leader in the stomach would work a second time.

'Enough!"

* * *

Misaki turned around, and her eyes widened as she saw Kuchika Rukia standing there, along with a classmate from Toshiro and Misaki's class that they knew by sight.

Rukia was glaring at the bullies. Her reiatsu was almost as cold as Toshiro's.

"How low of you imbeciles! Attacking other students for no reason... Disgraceful!"

The bullies panicked at the sight of a 5th year. Not only that, Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki House, so she was quite well-known among the students.

"RUN!"

The gang of bullies scattered. Rukia sighed, before saying in disapproval.

"Honestly. It makes me wonder why the Academy takes in people like them. Shinozaki and Hitsugaya. Are you both alright?"

They nodded in unison. They looked at her before saying.

"Arigato, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia gave a dry smile. She took a step backward, before saying.

"Oh, don't thank me. It was your classmate here that told me about your predicament."

Rukia nudged the boy who had been standing behind her the whole time to step forward, before crossing her arms.

Misaki smiled. It was thanks to their classmate that Toshiro and herself weren't beat up. If he hadn't asked Rukia to help... Who knew what would happen to them? They definitely owed him and Rukia-san a lot.

Then she blinked.

What was his name again? It went along the lines of Yuu and Fuji?

_Yuu... Fuji..._

Dang... She was terrible! How could she not remember the name of the person who saved Toshiro and herself?! A classmate?!

Toshiro sensed her confusion, he stepped forward, his hands in his pockets.

"Fujishiro-san. Thank you so much for your assistance. Believe me when I say that me and Misaki are more than grateful. I believe we've never been formally introduced?"

_Fujishiro? That's a lovely last name!_

_At least Toshiro isn't hopeless like me... He can remember classmates, at least..._

Fujishiro was a boy with light blue eyes that reminded her of the night and chocolate brown hair. His hair was messy and he wore rimless glasses that strangely suited him. He was probably about 2 years older than them. He seemed to be the quiet type, but Misaki could tell that he was also the gentleman type? She was confusing herself...

He stepped forward as he introduced himself, his eyes downcast.

"... Fujishiro Yuuya... It's nice to meet you..."

* * *

**A/N: Yay! So they got in...**

**Btw, anyway notice anything about Yuuya's name? No? Fujishiro Yuuya?**

**If you want to know, Fujishiro Yuuya is the combination of the names of my favorite characters from Hatoful Boyfriend XD His personality is a mix between Nageki and Sakazaki Yuuya, but more towards Nageki's quiet personality. He's basically the guy who's quiet, but when he does speaks you can expect some sort of deadpanned, flirty sentence...**

***Spoiler/ Warning: Don't get to attached to his character... I warned you...**

**Like this chapter? Review, follow and favourite Unconditionally for more Toshiro x OC fluff!**

**Also, check out my other stories, Complications (OHSHC) and Unknown (Naruto)**

**Until next time~**

**Thanks!**


	4. A Nightmare

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

***Minor time skips**

***Do note that Misaki and Toshiro are about 10+ years old in this chapter... **

**Prepare yourselves mentally... I warned you.**

**Warning: Major drama ahead!**

**Thanks to Guest-chan, Nina, YummydaNina, XAlluringShadows, SandNinjaBunny, another Guest-chan and infiniteheartt for reviewing ^^**

* * *

It's been quite a while since Misaki and Toshiro came to know Yuuya. Ever since that encounter with the bullies, they have started to hang out together.

Yuuya was really smart! He always came third in class.

Apparently, despite the fact that Yuuya was quiet and outgoing, he was really popular with the girls (Misaki not included).

Whenever they were hanging out in the library, Misaki and Toshiro found that most of the time, when Yuuya was with them, a bunch of girls would approach him.

_"Fujishiro-kuuuuun!"_

A hoard of fangirls appeared, giggling and surrounding him. Misaki and Toshiro exchanged bemused glances as they quickly slipped away. Misaki watched, grinning behind a row of shelves.

Yuuya looked alarmed at the sudden presence of so many girls and the disappearance of his classmates. However, it was quickly replaced by a calm and stoic expression as he glanced at the girls around him with his light blue eyes.

"Fujishiro-kun! What do you think about my hair?" A brown-haired girl asked, twirling her hair flirtatiously. Yuuya blinked as he glanced downwards. Misaki sighed. It seemed that he was trying to think up of a way to answer in an impartial manner. He quietly opened his mouth before saying.

"... I think it suits you well."

The hoard of girls started to squeal as their eyes replaced with hearts.

Beside her, Toshiro sighed.

"They're being noisy..."

Misaki quickly took a book from a nearby shelf and gave it to him.

"Here, read this... Assuming you haven't read it before?"

As she handed it to him, she glanced back at Yuuya, who had a mixed look on his face from all the attention he was receiving. She wondered how long it would be before the librarian came to shush the fangirls. The reason Toshiro and herself had slipped away was simple- You did not want to stand in the way of crazy fangirls.

One of them cooed at Yuuya, blushing.

"Fujishiro-kun! Who is the prettiest among us all?"

The girls crowded to him, eager to hear his answer.

Misaki noticed the sudden calm expression on his face. She almost could imagine the turmoil he was going through.

She sighed as she turned to Toshiro.

"Man. I feel bad, Toshi-kun..."

Toshiro gave a sigh as he turned to her.

"As do I. But as much as I feel bad for Fujishiro... I really don't want to get in the way of his fans."

Misaki nodded as she turned back to listen to Yuuya's reply.

Noticing how his eyes were downcast and the blank expression on his face, she sighed as she wondered what he was going to tell his ever-enthusiastic fans.

"..."

Yuuya sighed as he looked up face his fans. His expression was calm as Misaki wondered if he was resigning himself to a horrible fate.

Quietly he spoke.

"... I feel that everyone is beautiful in their own way."

There was another round of gasps and squeals.

Misaki sighed, watching the librarian suddenly get fed up and storm over to the fangirls and telling them to be quiet.

It would seem that Yuuya often said romantic things unwittingly... Poor guy.

Behind her, Toshiro suddenly put down his book, turning to face the hoard of fangirls. He stepped forward, his hands in his pockets.

"Now. There's an opening."

With amazing speed, Toshiro darted into the crowd and he pulled Yuuya out of the library.

Misaki resisted the urge to laugh. Picking up the book Toshiro was reading and returning it to its rightful place, she quickly ran out of the library after the duo.

She had no desire of the fangirl hoard venting their fury on her from the disappearance of the object of their affections.

* * *

In class, they sat together. Misaki was bored. Yuuya and Toshiro was talking about something that she had absolutely no idea about. When she wanted to listen in on them, Toshiro told her sternly to go read a book.

Misaki sighed as she huffed at Toshiro and Yuuya who was about 2 years older than both of them. The classes were sorted according to their performance in the entrance exam so there was a variety of people from different ages in their class. Misaki and Toshiro was the youngest, and there was the most amount of people who were around Yuuya's age. Playing with her pen, she lay on the table, bored. Sensei had not showed up yet.

A few minutes later, Toshiro and Yuuya finally turned to her.

Looking up eagerly, she smiled at the duo. Toshiro simply picked up a book as he started to read. Yuuya took off his rimless glasses and polished them, before putting them on emotionlessly, sweeping a glance at Misaki.

"You shouldn't be lying on the table like that. It's bad for your posture."

Toshiro casted a glance over to her, letting out a sigh.

"It's not proper."

Misaki crossed her arms. Leave it to two boys to teach her how to be a lady!

Twitching, she turned to Toshiro, as she sat up and twirled her pen nonchalantly.

"I probably learned it from you, Toshi-kun."

A tick mark appeared on Toshiro's forehead as he shut his eyes, brimming with anger.

"What did you say, crazy cat lady?"

Fire suddenly appeared all around Toshiro. Misaki found it funny that there wasn't cold wind for once.

"Don't call me that Toshiro! You know you like my nickname for you! Furthermore..."

She pointed at him dramatically.

"I saw you holding that cat the other day while you were sleeping! Don't deny it... You like cats, don't you?"

Misaki grinned as Yuuya watched on with a mild expression of amusement.

Toshiro looked down as he started to twitch. However, he seemed lost for words.

He sat down beside Yuuya instead of her and twitched in his seat.

Misaki sighed as she leaned back on her chair and grinned.

"Hey, Toshi-kun. Didn't you say you would treat me to ice cream if I got in?"

Toshiro turned to her, with an amused expression on his face, however he was still evidently twitching.

"I only said it was a promise if you shut up mostly. You have not been shutting up lately."

Misaki coughed, as she pretended to be hurt. It wasn't often that she was so childish, but she liked to tease Toshiro. It was very fun to do that outside of studying.

Toshiro regarded her, crossing his arms.

"I really worry about you sometimes. Yuuya, promise to keep an eye on her, OK?"

Yuuya gave a stiff nod, before returning to reading his book.

Misaki sighed.

"Seriously, Toshiro. I don't need anyone to watch over me I can protect myself, OK?"

He sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. What ever. Just in case."

Misaki gave a small smile a she watched her two friends start to study on their own. Looking at their determined faces as they looked through their notes, she took her own notes out and began to read.

She was really grateful to them. Toshiro and his protective personality, Yuuya with his nonchalant one... They were the best friends she could ever hope to have.

Realising that the book Toshiro was reading from was a Year 6 one, Misaki gave a slight smile. She was currently reading a Year 4 book, while Yuuya read a Year 3 book. It would seem that they were the only ones who bothered to read ahead of their syllabus, and Misaki realised that it wouldn't be long before all of them graduated. Toshiro would be the first, of course.

As she flipped through the pages, she wondered how it would be like if the inseparable trio was ever separated. The end of the year was approaching, and Misaki had a feeling that Toshiro was really going to take the graduating examinations.

Writing down some notes, she let out a sigh and glanced at her two friends one more, Toshiro in his white-haired glory and Yuuya with his black/brownish-hair, all the while wondering what the future would bring.

* * *

"Hey, Yuuya."

Misaki hurried up next to him. Yuuya had just escaped narrowly from a lethal fangirl hoard and was now hurriedly walking in the corridor. Misaki was short for her age, but despite Yuuya being about 2 years older, he was only about 5 centimeters taller.

It had been exactly four months, and Toshiro had graduated exactly a month ago. He hadn't even told Misaki or Yuuya that he was going to seriously take the examinations. His last letter told her that he was currently an unseated officer of the 10th Division in the Gotei 13.

Misaki really missed that Toshi-kun.

It felt strange, going about in school without Toshiro around to watch over she and Yuuya. That was when she wondered what Yuuya and Toshiro had been talking about in class without including her.

Hinamori had been shocked by Toshiro's talent, of course. When Misaki showed her the letter, Hinamori was practically beaming at the ltter by the time she had finished reading it. Misaki too, felt really proud for Toshiro... However, she did feel the need to buck up and work harder.

There was also an after note from Toshiro that revealed he had already mastered his Shikai techniques, and that he was probably close to unlocking Bankai.

Even though Toshiro had already graduated, she and Yuuya still spent their free time doing what Toshiro did- Going to the library to study. It had already become an daily routine for them, and that day as she read up on 5th Year Kido while sitting next to Yuuya, he suddenly turned to face her quietly.

She had gotten used to how quiet he was, and she still found his accidental romantic answers to his fangirl's questions quite hilarious. However, Yuuya had opened up to her quite a bit.

Misaki really respected him. They were in the same class, but Yuuya was older than her and more mature and calm... She had a lot to learn from him. In a way, he was like her senpai/friend.

She turned her head to look at him as he asked in a soft tone.

"... Have you heard about the upcoming trip to the Human World for the Hollow Training exercise?"

Misaki smiled slightly at him, as she nodded.

"Yeah. I'm kind of nervous, though... I really hope that we're in the same group, because it would just be weird if we weren't..."

She let out a sigh, as she put down her book and rubbed her eyes.

"And I don't think the others would be very friendly to me... Sure, they really love you, but I don't think they really like me."

Yuuya remained silent, as if considering that.

He took off his glasses, giving them a quick polish, before turning away and speaking once more.

"... And why is that?"

Misaki frowned at the weird question. She shrugged.

"Hm... I don't really know, actually. They just automatically disliked me and Toshi-kun ever since we entered. A friend of mine told me it might be because of our reiatsu, but I don't know, exactly..."

Yuuya pondered about that. He put on his glasses, however he did not turn back to face her.

"... I also don't understand..."

Misaki blinked.

"I find you...very likeable, actually. I find the coolness of both of your reiatsu's very refreshing... It is their loss."

Misaki gaped at him as she turned away, warmth filling her chest.

That... was the nicest thing she had heard coming from someone who wasn't Toshiro. Especially coming from a quiet person like Yuuya, it was really sincere to her...

"Thanks." She beamed at him, and frowned upon seeing him still looking away, his head downcast.

Catching a glimpse of his face, she realised that his face was unbelievably red.

It was kind of cute, actually! Just like Toshi-kun and little cats...

She laughed, nudging Yuuya a little.

_I guess Yuuya-san is still really shy..._

"Hm... You were embarrassed to admit that, weren't you, Yuuya-san?"

He did not reply, instead slowly turning back to his book, the flush on his face becoming a reddish tint.

Misaki twitched as she heard his quiet reply.

"Shinozaki-san..."

He held up the book to his face, flipping a page calmly, his face still a blazing red.

"... Please be quiet in the library."

* * *

Misaiki winced as she wondered if she was going crazy.

She had heard the sound of a cat and some whispers as she was trying to sleep. However, when she sat up in alarm and saw that there was no one there but her, she immediately freaked out.

Not only that, she had an immense headache.

She certainly would not have had remembered Valentine's Day if she had not spotted the package addressed to her in her locker.

The reason she didn't remember? It also happened to be the day that the first class had to go off fighting fake Hollows in the real world.

What a better way to spend Valentines? (XD)

There was this cute little card attached to the white-coloured parcel.

It read:

...

_Misaki._

_Someone told me that Valentine's Day was also Friendship Day. Don't get the wrong idea._

_I hope you like the present. I heard you're going off to kill fake Hollows in the human world. Be careful, I've heard of accidents in the past._

_Don't give Fujishiro any trouble, and stay out of trouble, or I won't get you any ice cream._

_Happy Valentine's Day._

_Signed,_

_Toshiro Hitsugaya_

_P.S... Don't act like a baka._

_P.S.S... Regarding the last letter you sent me... MY NAME IS NOT TOSHI-KUN._

_Crazy cat lady._

_..._

Misaki felt so loved right now. She opened the package and smiled as she saw a pack of amanatto. Opening it happily, she popped one into her mouth.

There was also another present. It was this tiny stuffed cat toy.

Misaki clasped it in her hands and smiled at the cute little cat.

She suddenly felt really bad for forgetting to get a present for Toshiro. It was something she would have to remember to do next time.

Smiling at the package once more, she neatly packed everything back into the package and placed it in one of her dorm drawers.

_Hmph._

_Happy Valentine's, Toshi-kun._

* * *

After preparing for the Hollow training exercise, she grabbed her zanpaktou (It was really just a metal sword that would stay that way until she unlocked shikai) before heading out to assemble in the rooftop.

She did not notice that the hilt was covered with frost.

"Shinozaki-san."

She whirled around and smiled at Yuuya, who also had his zanpaktou with him. However, like her, he had not unlocked Shikai yet.

"... I have something to give you."

Misaki blinked in surprise as Yuuya suddenly placed something in her hand.

She gasped, seeing that it was a beautiful charm that was shaped like a crescent moon. It was dangling on a black-ribbon.

Looking at the beautiful gift in her hand, she was suddenly plagued by guilt.

"Gomen, Yuuya-san... You see... I completely forgot it was Valentine's today..."

She explained, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"Anyways... Thank you, Yuuya-san! This is really beautiful."

When she noticed the frost on her zanpaktou, she let out a small frown as she wondered what was happening to her but she nonchalantly wiped the frost away.

Misaki fastened the charm to the handle of her zanpaktou, before holding it up and smiling at Yuuya.

She still felt really guilty about forgetting about Valentine's Day.

"Gomen, Yuuya-san... I really would have gotten you a present if I had remembered."

Yuuya looked mildly amused.

"... It's alright. It is to be expected..."

Misaki coughed.

Yuuya continued, his voice sounding monotone as usual yet sounding more light-hearted than ever.

"... Hitsugaya did tell me of your baka tendencies."

She twitched, looking up at Yuuya.

"What? Toshiro did?"

Yuuya jerked his head as a nod, before looking away.

_That little Toshi-kun..._

Misaki sighed, before smiling slightly at Yuuya. He was as silent as ever.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice.

"Alright! Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Misaki looked up to the front of the Senkaimon to see a familiar black-haired 6th Year along with two somewhat familiar faces: One with blonde hair and the other with red.

She grinned and waved, before watching as Hinamori smiled at her and gave her a small wave.

Whispers started to break out.

_"Weren't those 3 those who saved their senior from getting eaten by Hollows?"_

_"Yeah, I think so! They stayed behind while the others escaped, how brave!"_

_"I can't believe they have had real encounters with Giant Hollows!"_

_"Why does the Academy still permit these training exercises... It is obviously dangerous..."_

_"This is the second time in history that 6th Years have been assigned to lead a training session!"_

Renji took a step forward, crossing his arms.

"Alright. Now for your groupings... Kira is now handing out papers. Basically those holding onto the same symbols are in the same group. Do note there will be a team with only 2 members, because of some unforeseen circumstances."

Misaki coughed. 'Unforeseen circumstances' basically meant Toshiro graduating after one year.

Glancing at the symbol she was holding in her hands, she then looked at over at Yuuya's scrap of paper.

She smiled.

"Looks like we're in the two-man squad, Yuuya-san!"

Yuuya's face had no significant change in expression, but his expressive light blue eyes were filled with amusement at Misaki indirectly calling herself a 'man'.

Suddenly, Hinamori let the first team into the Senkaimon, giving them a short briefing before each team entered into the Human World.

When it was their turn, Hinamori smiled at them, as she spoke.

"Ah, it's you, Aki-chan! You and Fujishiro only have to kill 2 Hollows this exercise, considering that there is only two people in your group. Shiro-chan would have probably joined your team if he hadn't graduated already..."

Hinamori ended with a small smile before briefing them about the other details.

Misaki smiled at her childhood friend. She had really missed Hinamori...

Smiling at Hinamori, Misaki gave her a tiny hug.

"Arigatou, Momo-chan!"

She then looked behind and saw Yuuya with something much akin to a small smile on his face.

Gesturing at Yuuya, she smiled as she took a step forward.

"Hm. Let's go kill some fake Hollows, Yuuya-san."

She plunged into the Senkaimon and started to run, sensing Yuuya following closely behind.

* * *

Misaki grinned as she slashed the last Fake Hollow, panting a little. She and Yuuya had taken on one Hollow each, as since there were only 2 people in their team, they only had to defeat two.

She smiled up at Yuuya and slid her zanpaktou back into its sheath. Her head suddenly split from pain again, and she closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath, before starting to wonder about all the whispers she was hearing. One of the whispers had a childish voice that reminded her of the purr of a cat.

Focusing on that whisper, she frowned as she heard it speak.

_My name is..._

It faltered, and she sighed.

Dang. She really must be losing it, if she was hearing things. Hearing things that nobody else can hear isn't a good sign, at all!

A hand rubbing her forehead, she turned to Yuuya and gave him a small smile.

"C'mon, Yuuya-san. Let's go back to the-"

She was cut off by a sudden unearthly howl. The sound ricocheted through the training area, making Misaki freeze as an unfamiliar reiatsu suddenly blasted from somewhere behind them. She squinted, and realisation dawned on her, before quickly replaced by horror.

It was a Hollow. Not the fake ones, it was the real deal. Not a small one, but one that was so gigantic it might've been a Menos.

And also...

Not one... But many. 20 of the creatures, at the very least.

And all of them was headed towards them.

Yuuya was currently frozen to the spot, as he comprehended the information the same time as her.

Misaki grabbed his hand and started to run.

They had to inform Hinamori and the others, quick. In this situation, it was possible that every single one of them could die.

* * *

"Everyone, please get as far as possible! We'll try to handle this until reinforcements come!"

Hinamori called out, before aiming a Shakkaho at one of the approaching Hollows. It hit the Hollow clean in the face, however, it did not seem to be even fazed. Gritting her teeth in determination, Hinamori and Kira said the incantations in unison as they shot the balls of fire at the Hollow, and Renji finished it by slashing it across it's mask.

"Abarai-kun! You fend off those on the left! Kira-kun! Go fend off those on the right!"

Misaki stared at Hinamori. She glanced around, confused.

_Why... did everyone run away?_

The senpai's were in trouble. They were hopelessly outnumbered, and Misaki had no idea how long it will take for the reinforcements from Gotei 13 to come.

Hinamori turned behind and looked at Misaki with wide eyes.

"Aki-chan! What are you doing? Run!"

A large figure loomed behind Hinamori, and for some reason, she didn't detect it.

Misaki quickly opened her mouth as she started to rapidly say the incantation for the 31st Hado spell.

"_Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"_

Focusing it to the skull of the hollow behind Hinamori, she released the red hot fireballs as they soared and made contact with the Hollow, which stumbled and let out a piercing howl.

Hinamori looked behind her, shocked.

"How-"

She was cut off when another Shakkaho soared past their heads and hit the hollow, which proceeded to disappear.

Misaki turned around and gave a small smile at Yuuya, as smoke rolled off his hands from the power of the blast.

Hinamori shook her head. Then, glancing at Misaki, realisation suddenly dawned on her.

"Aki-chan... Please mask your reiatsu... It is overpowering all the hollow's reiatsu!"

Misaki frowned.

"How?"

Hinamori gasped.

"You... don't know how to control your reiatsu? But then how are you able to use kido?"

Hinamori started to charge up another Shakkaho, aiming it at a hollow behind her.

Misaki took a deep breath.

"I don't know."

Misaki blinked, as she suddenly saw a shimmery figure appearing behind Hinamori.

She couldn't see it properly...

_It's... an invisible hollow?_

* * *

A force suddenly started to head towards Hinamori, and effortlessly sent her flying into a nearby wall.

"No..."

Misaki stared at where Hinamori had fallen, wondering how such a thing was possible.

_Don't tell me that Hinamori is...?_

Hinamori then started to get up slowly, as she coughed, beads of blood dripping down her face. She gripped her zanpaktou, and pulled it out of it's sheath.

Misaki ran forward. However, she was too late.

The hollow suddenly began to talk. It started to laugh, almost maniacally.

**'Don't tell me this is all shinigami has got... The nerve to fight me with a spiritless zanpaktou... Don't go thinking you can defeat me easily with those metal toothpicks of yours."**

He picked up Hinamori and tossed her away.

Misaki's eyes widened, as she let out a shriek, eyes darting to the nearest person in the vicinity who could catch her in time.

"K-KIRA!"

He looked up and immediately got the message, shunpoeing over and catching Hinamori in the nick of time, before placing her down tenderly a few metres away.

Misaki immediately started to say out the incantation for Shakkaho, however, it merely came out as a medium-sized redicoloured flame that merely brushed against the Hollow's face.

She cursed inwardly at herself, shaking.

How was this possible? Her Shakkaho's have always blasted at the enemy accurately as a pillar of red fire. But now...

**"What's this? A weakling?"**

Her weakness turned into anger as she heard the mocking voice of the hollow. Gritting her teeth and panting, she ran up to the Hollow, as she somehow managed to leave a huge gash over the skull on its face. Black liquid poured from the wound, and the hollow regarded her with a new interest.

**"Not bad. But that's the most you can do with a spiritless sword. Goodbye, Shinigami."**

* * *

A giant claw soared towards her, ready to slice her into bits, and she instinctively held up her sword to defend while knowing it wouldn't do any good at all. As the Hollow has said, a zanpaktou without a proper zanpaktou spirit residing in it was incredibly weak.

She couldn't move at all. And she didn't realise why until she tried to move her leg and was instead greeted with a stinging pain. Forcing herself to run in that state wasn't probably the best thing to do in a chaotic situation.

It wasn't just that. Fear. It was enveloping her like a snake, immobilizing her completely. She grabbed her zanpaktou and forced herself to take a step forward with her broken leg, preparing to slash with her zanpaktou.

_She couldn't let anything happen to her friends. Even if she died..._

It all happened so fast.

A familiar brownish-blackish haired boy shunpoed in front of her, attempting to block the blow with his sword.

Misaki screamed as the person's sword was smashed into what seemed to be a million pieces, and the person was impaled by the giant claw.

Ignoring the pain, she ran forward and somehow managed to slash the claw away, feeling her broken leg grow numb.

She ignored all of it, and immediately caught the limp body of the friend who had sacrificed himself for her.

A tear trailed down her cheek as she looked into the glassy, light blue eyes of Yuuya Fujishiro.

...

* * *

**A/N: Any guesses on what Toshiro talked to Yuuya about? **

**Also...**

**CLIFFHANGER XD**

**Review, favourite and follow to find out more in the next chappie.**

**Sorry if this seems rushed. I'm actually having exams, now, so...**


	5. Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Special thanks to leebee14, and Guest-chan 1 and Guest-chan 2.**

**If you want more of this, review, favourite and follow!**

* * *

Misaki's eyes widened as she immediately leaned in to listen to his pulse, before looking over to see if there was anyone who could help.

"You idiot... Why?"

She said, resisting the urge to cry. She would have been more than ready to die, and she certainly didn't want Yuuya to die because she was _weak._

However here he was, almost dead and she was helpless to do anything.

She watched as Yuuya opened his mouth and smiled at her.

"... It was a promise. I don't go back on promises."

Misaki blinked, as she recalled the times where Toshiro talked alone with Yuuya, deliberately leaving her out, and the one time where that Toshiro told him to look after her.

Yuuya gave her an amused smile in spite of his pain.

"It was nice to be able to get to know you and Hitsugaya."

Ignoring him angrily, Misaki ripped some fabric from her uniform and proceeded to try to bandage the gaping wound in his stomach, however, it did not stem the bleeding.

She then tried to use healing kido. She remembered the theory- use your own reiatsu to heal the target's body.

Her own reiatsu flickered near the wound, barely closing it.

She tried to force more, however he stopped her.

"Don't. It's no use."

Misaki huffed at his stubborness, taking in a shaky breath while ignoring the evil cackle of the hollow.

"I know. But it won't hurt to try."

As soon as she said that, the Hollow rounded on them once more after destroying all the buildings in the area. Misaki cursed as she stood up.

The hollow had said that there was anyone she could defeat it without a zanpaktou with a zanpaktou spirit.

A splitting headache immediately struck her, however this time an idea hit her. Was this a sign from her zanpaktou spirit, telling her that it was ready to be awakened?

In the next flash of pain, she delved into her mind for a second and she could finally hear a name clearly, a soft voice calling out to her from the back of her mind.

Her zanpaktou glowed a bright red as she raised, anxious to end the hollow and tend to Yuuya as soon as possible.

She shakily took a few strides away from Yuuya while ignoring the pain in her broken leg, putting as much distance between them as possible.

Taking a deep breath, a cold wind suddenly blew as a blinding light emanated from the blade. Her reiatsu suddenly shot up. Glaring at the hollow that was sneering at her, she spoke seriously. A name suddenly was made known to her as her zanpaktou glowed creepily.

_"Glimmer... Tsukiko Yuki."_

* * *

Her zanpaktou changed form as she felt ice growing thinly around her broken leg like a cast, and adrenaline pumped through her.

Strings of light suddenly penetrated the hollow before freezing and tearing it apart. The echo of the Hollow's dying howl of rage rang in her eyes as she blinked, her arms shaking as multiple more Hollows appeared around her, all headed their way. She looked around, Kira and Renji was fending off Hollows, but even with their expertise, they would get overrun soon.

Cursing in frustation, she glanced at Yuuya to check if he was safe. He was breathing... but barely.

The Hollows chose the worst moment ever to charge at she and Yuuya. Moving forward with her broken leg in a cast of ice and raising her zanpaktou, her eyes widened as something shot past her and speared the nearest Hollow.

Then, a cloud of ash suddenly enveloped the remaining group of Hollows as they started to call out in pain, as though the cloud of ash had cut them. A long giant sword that was as fast as a beam of light immediately shot in and finished the Hollows in a matter of seconds.

Misaki didn't pay much attention to their saviours, which honestly was a little ungrateful of her. She had a good reason, though.

_Yuuya wasn't moving anymore._

In a panic, she ran over and shook him, hoping that he would wake up. He didn't.

A hand was placed on her shoulder as she blinked in disbelief.

She could hear a familiar voice, and a beautiful woman with flowing orange locks knelt next to her, looking at Yuuya.

Rangiku shook her head, looking at Yuuya seriously, a sad expression on her face.

"I'm sorry."

All that Misaki registered was the unmoving figure of one of her best friends. Behind them, a silver-haired man watched through his squinted eyes and the smirk on his face disappeared, as though he understood her pain.

She might as well have been the one who had killed Fujishiro Yuuya.

* * *

It was well after the funeral, and Misaki have not left her dorm room since.

She didn't spend the whole time bawling her eyes out, or sobbing, or the other things she thought she would have done.

Instead, she just sat on her bed, gazing off into space. It had been at least 1 week after Yuuya had gone, and she had spent the first 3 days visiting his grave. However, it soon became too painful for her to handle.

Misaki failed her class tests, because she didn't go to class in the first place. Her room was locked, and the keyhole covered with frost.

However, no one looked for her. They either understood her bundle of emotions or didn't care. She was perfectly fine with that.

Glancing at her zanpaktou, she looked at the hilt expressionlessly. The crescent-shaped charm that Yuuya gave her had merged with the handle, probably permanently.

Rangiku-chan and Gin Ichimaru had been the ones who saved them all. Misaki had a feeling that she would've liked getting to know Gin better if it weren't for the numbness she was feeling. Hinamori, Kira and Renji were all safe, and that was the only thing that she could be remotely happy of.

She sighed, before lying on her bed and staring up into space. Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. It was like she couldn't even feel anything anymore. Dark circles lined her eyes from the lack of sleep.

All of a sudden, a loud rap was heard and it echoed through her quiet room.

She looked at the door and instead sighed as she took up the nearest book and began to read.

The knocks on her door never stopped, and then her phone suddenly rang shrilly.

Tiredly picking up the phone, she quietly stared off into space as she muttered softly.

"... Hello."

There was silence for a while before she heard a familiar voice replying, sounding very pissed off.

Her eyes widened, if only slightly as she recognised the voice immediately.

"Misaki. Open the door, now."

A long time ago, she might've squealed into the phone and poked fun at the person instead of opening the door straight away. However, today, she immediately hung up and quietly shuffled over to the door, puling it open tiredly.

Her eyes immediately saw snow-white hair and piercing teal-coloured eyes, however, she simply blinked, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"... Toshiro," She acknowledged him softly, bowing her head slightly. Hm, she didn't even call him Toshi-kun.

However, she couldn't have been more surprised.

Wasn't Toshiro supposed to be working in the Gotei 13 now? What was he doing here in the dorm of Shin O' Academy?

Toshiro wore black robes and had his zanpaktou slung over his back. He had an troubled expression on his face. She felt a little bit bemused at the fact that he was holding a cellphone.

She pushed open the door fully, before taking a step out towards him.

Her eyes widened outrageously as he suddenly took a step forward, and hauled her up like she was a sack of potatoes, before closing the door and tossing her on the bed, all the while not speaking.

For the first time in forever, a tiny hint of a blush appeared on her face, however it hardly changed her expression as she looked up at him blankly, lying stiffly on her bed as Toshiro stood over her, glaring at her.

He suddenly grabbed her by the front of her shirt, before pulling her upwards, all the while twitching in annoyance. Misaki looked up into his eyes, one of her eyebrows raised questioningly.

Toshiro shook his head, before sighing.

"You're such a _baka!_"

...

* * *

**A/N: A short update. Sorry about the angst... This is one of the few times I will make Misaki a moody person. Also, let's just assume that phones were invented already. By the way, 'Baka' means 'Idiot', to make it clear.**

**What will Toshiro say to her? What will happen?**

**Review if you want another chapter :)**


	6. Resolution

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, I only own my OCs**

**Review if you want more!**

**I'm sorry about all the timeskips, I realised that I am way behind my schedule on this, and I need to speed up the plot a bit.**

* * *

Toshiro sighed as he looked into Misaki's eyes. She was listening, she was alive... But her eyes were sunken and lifeless. She was a now just a shell of her former self, and he wanted the real Misaki back.

Her skin was pale and sunken. Her eyes had once been glittering with mischief and life. Her face had sunken in.

The stark contrast was so great when compared to when he had last seen her only a few months ago. He needed her to be herself again. A good person like Fujishiro would never have wanted for her to torture herself like this.

He had heard about Fujishiro's death. It pained him... but the only way to honour a good friend was to accept and move on. Move on, and cherish the memories of a good friend.

It was with pain that he looked at Misaki, shaking his head.

"Do you think Fujishiro would have wanted you to be like this?"

She gave no response, however her eyes widened a bit at the mention of Yuuya.

Toshiro sighed. He had really missed her. Seeing her like this was like a blow to himself.

"Do you think that starving yourself, skipping lessons and not looking after yourself can bring him back?"

No reply. She looked at him with mournful green eyes.

He glared at her.

"Accidents happen. Honour his memory."

He jabbed her in the shoulder as he said.

"If you think you caused him to die, then get stronger so that you will always be able to protect those important to you. If you want to move on, don't let his sacrifice go in vain. If..."

He looked her in her eyes.

"If you are scared of reality... Scared of facing the truth... Scared of making mistakes... Then move on, and don't live in the past. Don't stop improving, and don't ever forget who you are."

* * *

Toshiro's words struck her, and hard.

He was right, as always.

_Who am I?_

Misaki wondered. The way she had been acting... It wasn't surprising no one remembered her. If they could, they couldn't even recognise her.

She bet that even Yuuya would have been shocked at her change... if he had been alive.

She really had let the lost of a friend blind her. Yuuya wouldn't have wanted this. Yuuya protected her of his own choice. He knew what he was doing. She didn't.

If Misaki was going to let a blow in life knock her down forever, she wasn't fit to be in this school. Or even fit to become a Shinigami.

All this time, she had forgotten what was most important.

She shakily sighed, taking a deep breath as she looked up at Toshiro.

What she has been doing was foolish. She could just feel it in her bones. She wouldn't be thinking about it if Toshiro hadn't come. Instead, she might've still been lying around like a lifeless corpse.

He had saved her once again. The first time was when he and Hinamori took her in when she came to Soul Society.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, a tiny yet somewhat sad smile appeared on her face as she looked up at Toshiro.

"Toshiro? Thank you."

She suddenly yawned, as if on impulse. Why was she feeling sleepy all of a sudden?

Glancing at the side of her bed, her zanpaktou was propped up against it. The charm that Yuuya had given her had fused with the handle permanently, and there was some sort of power radiating off from it, as if it was the thing commanding her to sleep.

Misaki felt bad. She might be able to recover, but the guilt would never leave her. Ever since Yuuya passed away, she had been neglecting everything- Keeping in touch with Toshiro, Hinamori, Izuru, Renji... The outside world, her studies, and her zanpaktou that achieved shikai when the hollow attacked her then.

Yawning, she covered her mouth as she laid back on her bed, staring into space.

Soon, she was softly snoring.

It has been a long time since she slept.

* * *

Toshiro looked at the sleeping girl in exasperation.

He imagined that it had been a long time since she had slept.

A soft smile appeared on his face. Just now, judging by the look in her eyes, she had come back. There had been a gleam of her old self in her eyes and he knew that she had taken what he told her to heart.

"Baka. What am I going to do with you?"

He tenderly brushed her messy bangs away from her face as he proceeded to pull the bed covers over her lest she caught a cold and fell sick.

Then, he quietly leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Toshiro then stepped away, sighing as he regarded his childhood friend. She was snoring softly, and from the expression on her face he knew that she was at peace with herself. She was ready to move on.

He suddenly recalled what she had said to him right before she abruptly fell asleep. He looked at her as he recalled the 'thank you' that sounded tired and sincere at the same time.

"Hm. You're welcome."

Toshiro quietly walked to the door of the room. He cast a final glance at her before switching off the lights. Then, he gently closed the door.

"I'll see you soon, Misaki."

* * *

**One month later- Misaki POV**

* * *

It had been at least one month ever since I had finally woken up.

I spent most of my time training and studying. I recalled planning to graduate as soon as I achieve shikai and I plan to stick to that :)

However, I was alone. That was to be expected, seeing as everyone avoided me now. A lot of people viewed me as bad luck because of the incident with the hollows and the fate of Yuuya.

I knew better than to listen to them, so instead I talked to Hinamori and her friends more.

I also sent letters to Toshi-kun just to keep in touch. I hope that I'm not bothering him too much, but he seems to be doing fine.

Not too long ago, I had finally finished studying the entire Shin O' Academy syllabus.

I told my sensei my intention to take the graduation test, and to my surprise, Sensei seems to have anticipated it. Probably because Toshiro graduated last year and he had probably been expecting me to do the same this year.

I think that I have refined my shikai. I have learned almost all of the shikai techniques, and I probably can achieve bankai in about a few years. I'm quite attached with Tsukiko Yuki.

I've been to my inner world a few times, and Tsukiko Yuki appears to me as a fluffy white cat wearing a black choker with the crescent-moon charm Yuuya gave me. She never opens her eyes, but it's because she doesn't need to, for some reason. I suspect that her eyes have some sort of Medusa-business going on... If anyone saw them it couldn't be good. I also suspect that her opening her eyes might be part of bankai.

The graduation test this year is in exactly 2 months.

Sensei is very nice, and he lets me bring the books I borrow from the library to class and I always study them sitting at the back of class. He must've known how important this was to me.

During my free time, I occasionally go out and buy flowers before making my way down to where Yuuya's memorial was. Remembering him was bittersweet, it always made me sad. I now know Yuuya didn't want me to be sad for him. He made his own choice, and the reason I really want to be a shinigami so badly was because I wanted to honour his sacrifice. The leg I had broke back then was now completely healed.

I had learnt my lesson from that day. It was ironic that the day had been Valentine's Day as well, but I really thought of it more as Friendship Day.

February the 14th had always been a sad day for me.

Even I have moved on, I will always feel guilty. Guilt is something that is hard to dispel from yourself. Maybe I will be free from it one day.

Today I'm going to go spar with Hinamori and her friends. They had been here for 6 years already.

It was customary for students to stay here for 6 years, unless you were talented like that Toshi-kun. You could leave as soon as you finished the 6 year syllabus.

It was then at the training area did I realise that Renji's friend, Rukia wasn't around. According to him, she was adopted by the Kuchiki Clan last year before me and Toshiro came, and they made special arrangements for her to graduate early.

But I was glad that I would take the graduation test with Hinamori, Renji and Izuru. It sort of comforted me in a sense.

We often practiced sparring together. With Renji's help, I managed to improve in hakuda, which had been one of my weakest subjects. Hinamori and Izuru were experts in Kido, and they taught me a lot of handy tips.

We were all close-knit, but it was odd to think of them like seniors. Hinamori had always been my close friend and sister to me, but Renji and Izuru were like brothers to me too.

Occasionally, we would all get together and talk about Divisions we were interested in joining if we got accepted as Shinigami.

Hinamori was interested in the 5th, Izuru and Renji weren't too sure about it. I admit that I wasn't really sure, but I was considering joining the 4th Division if I got accepted as a Shinigami. If I could heal, I would be able to save people's lives.

I had learnt from the medics that came to late that Yuuya had died because one of his ribs had cracked and punctured his wound, and that the wound on his stomach hadn't been the cause of death. They came to the conclusion that when I tried to heal him, I somehow prevented him from losing more blood by healing his insides. However, I had not known anything about his broken ribs.

However, I had not healed his outer part of the wound. Which I found strange. I figured most people would heal the outside and neglect the inside.

Maybe if I underwent proper training, I would be able to protect people and save lives for real.

There was a division I definitely didn't want to go to though.

The 10th Division.

Well, I only hoped that we all got in Gotei 13 together. We would be a big happy family, and with Toshi-kun around, it would make our family complete :3

* * *

**Timeskip again (Third person):**

* * *

Misaki was panicking.

_Why did this place have to be so gigantic?!_

As she looked around for the 4th Division, she looked at the map in her hands.

She had entered by the west gate, took a turn to the left, and then to the right, walked in a curve...

Instead of the 4th Division, she was in...

She didn't even know what division she was in.

Misaki glanced at her clock in anxiety.

15 more minutes, and she would be officially late. It didn't help she hadn't a clue of where she was.

Toshiro would never approve of her being late for anything. Speaking of Toshiro, she really hoped to see him. It had only been a few months, but she missed him already.

Now, she was standing in the middle of some gigantic courtyard, staring intensely at the map. She gave up and stuffed it back into the pocket of her shihaksho.

To her utmost relief, she caught sight of a familiar person with bright red hair and tattoos.

"Abarai-kun!"

She smiled in relief upon meeting someone she knew in this strange place that was too large.

Renji was surprised to see her.

"Eh? Shinozaki, you got into the 11th Division too?"

Misaki twitched before rapidly shaking her head.

The famous 11th Division? That was where she was? In that case, she had to get out before anyone else from the 11th showed up.

Renji was nice and friendly but certainly not anyone else from the 11th-

"My, my. Who do we have here?"

She jumped as she detected someone standing close behind her.

Misaki whirled backwards to see a man with feathers in his hair and a smirk on his face. His clothes were rather stylish, and she guessed that he was rather good-looking.

Renji looked between them, clearly aware of the tension.

The man with feathers in his hair looked down at her. His tone was proud yet regal, like a peacock.

"You don't seem to be from the 11th... Why are you here? Why, would you like to transfer to our division?"

Misaki immediately shook her head.

Who was this man? Judging from his reiatsu, she would say that he was a high-ranking officer.

She explained as politely as possible.

"I got lost..."

The man scoffed before looking down at her.

There was awkward silence. Misaki was panicking. She really needed to make her way to the 4th as quickly as possible.

Renji fidgeted, looking confused.

"Why, how not beautiful." The man suddenly spoke, and Misaki looked at him in surprise.

He gestured at her hair, as he shook his head, sighing.

"Such beautiful, long, black hair... And you waste it's beauty by tying it in such an ugly way..."

Misaki blinked.

An 11th member who was interested in fashion? This was a first!

She looked up at her hair. In her rush, she had just hastily tied it up in a messy ponytail.

Um. Misaki really didn't get what was so bad about a messy ponytail.

The man opened his mouth as if to criticise her hair more, but it was then did she heard a familiar voice.

"Why, leave the poor girl alone, Yumichika!"

Misaki smiled and turned around, heaving a sigh of relief at the arrival of someone she knew.

The voice continued.

"If you don't mind, Yumichika, I'll just take her away~"

Rangiku-chan suddenly flashstepped and took her away from the 11th.

Misaki waved to Renji in farewell as she was suddenly standing in somewhere different.

"I heard you got into the 4th Division, Misaki! Well done~"

* * *

Misaki smiled as she looked around.

"... Rangiku-chan? Do you know how to go there? I'm lost, you see..."

Rangiku chuckled. Her grey eyes twinkled as she ruffled Misaki's hair.

Misaki had really missed her. Rangiku-chan had been the reason she and Toshiro went to the Shinigami Academy to become Shinigami in the first place.

Rangiku ruffled up her already messy hair.

"Of course, in fact, I'll just show you the way right n-"

"That won't be necessary."

Misaki's blinked as she felt someone else's presence suddenly, behind her.

That person that was talking cut across Rangiku, and Misak jumped at a sudden burst of reiatsu behind her.

It wasn't overpowering to Misaki, and for some reason she found the reiatsu to be comfortable. Sort of how Rangiku-chan's reiatsu felt to her.

Rangiku's eyes widened as she focused on the man standing behind Misaki, with a smirk on his face.

"Why, I'm heading over to my division right now, Rangiku. I'll just take her along with me. Why, she seems quite familiar..."

Misaki turned around to see a man with silver hair and slitted eyes.

_He's really familiar too..._

She instantly recalled that he was the one, who along with Rangiku had saved them all from the Hollows from that training accident. Her heart gave a pang as she recalled Yuuya.

"Misaki."

She glanced at Rangiku in surprise.

Misaki examined the look in Rangiku's eyes. They were expertly masked by a shield of grey, but upon looking into it deeper, she realised that this person was someone Rangiku knew very well. Like best friends that had drifted apart and now treated each other like merely acquaintances.

Why did she get the feeling... That this was someone that Rangiku loved?

"This is Ichimaru Gin, Vice-Captain of the 5th Division."

...

* * *

**A/N: A short update. Tell me if I'm going too fast.**

**Review, favourite and follow if you want more!**

**I sent Misaki to the 4th for a reason, but she won't be there for long~**

**Btw, Toshiro's speech was sort of inspired by Rukia's speech to Ichigo, they are somewhat similar.**

**ALSO:**

**Do you want me to write in first person for Misaki in some parts, or would you rather I write in 3rd person all the way?**


	7. Changing Divisions?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, I only own my OCs**

**Review if you want me to continue ^^**

**Remember to review, favourite and follow!**

* * *

Misaki was now following the Vice-Captain of the 5th Division.

Ichimaru walked in front of her as she meekly followed behind him. Shinigami bowed upon seeing Gin and raised their eyebrows when they spotted her.

Gin suddenly turned around and looked at her.

At least she thinks he is looking at her. His eyes were closed and his mouth seemed to be smirking forever.

However, Misaki found it quite cool actually.

"So, Misa-chan... Why did you become a shinigami?"

Misaki blinked. She smiled up at the vice-captain brightly before answering.

"Rangiku-chan was the one who convinced me to become one! Me and Toshi-kun's reiatsu's were making Granny sick, so Rangiku-chan came and told us to become shinigami."

Misaki noticed that smirk curled up to something that resembled a smile when she mentioned Rangiku.

"Ichimaru-fukutaicho, why did_ you_ become a shinigami?"

She glanced at him earnestly as his expression remained the same.

"My, my... I did it so that she would never have to get hurt again. But little did I know that she followed exactly in my footsteps, eh?"

He continued walking, and Misaki smiled.

"Ichimaru-fukutaicho, what do you feel for Rangiku-chan? Are you in love with Rangiku-chan?"

She was probably going to get herself killed, asking a Vice-Captain that.

But she was quite curious. It was obvious from their interaction earlier that they weren't strangers at all.

Ichimaru seemed surprised at the sudden question.

He stopped in his tracks and the grin on his face widened.

"How sharp, Misa-chan. That's for me to know and for you to find out, eh?"

He placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"See, we're at the 5th Division now. You'll reach the 4th if you just keep walking straight. Better get going now, you sure don't wanna bump into my captain~"

Misaki smiled up at him.

Gin was really nice.

"Arigato, Ichimaru-fukutaicho!"

Ichimaru took a step back as the grin on his face never faltered one bit. His eyes were still closed.

He started to walk away, waving.

"Bye bye, Misa-chan~"

Misaki waved and bowed to show her respect as she then started to run towards the 4th Division.

Maybe she would be able to get there on time.

* * *

"Eh? Izuru-kun?"

Misaki nudged a blonde shinigami standing in front of her.

"Ah, it's you, Shinozaki-san."

Misaki smiled up at her senpai.

"Izuru-kun, do you know which division Momo-chan went to?"

Kira frowned as he turned to face her.

"Hinamori-san? She went to the 5th."

Misaki blinked. Hinamori got into the 5th, just like she wanted. Momo-chan sure was lucky.

Suddenly, there was an officer who told everyone to keep silent as the captain and vice-captain walked out.

There was a beautiful lady with long black hair that was braided in front. She was presumably Captain Unohana.

Beside her, stood a tall lady with short light blue hair. Vice-captain Isane.

First, they were all going to learn how to heal with the use of kido.

For the first few days, they taught the recruits how to control and use their kido.

Some recruits would be sent to the relief squads, some recruits were sent to do chores and some recruits were assigned to the General Emergency Relief Station.

Kira was sent to training as for the relief squads, while Misaki was sent to be stationed at the General Emergency Relief Station.

She was in-training, meaning that she was supposed to watch and help out until she has enough experience to perform the duties on her own.

The General Emergency Relief Station was basically the place to go when you get injured.

However, it was busy, and Misaki soon learned that it becomes busier whenever someone from the 11th came to wreck havoc.

* * *

Or rather, it was chaos whenever some 11th Division guys who have presumably been drinking.

They often came to the 4th out of all the places to fight each other, and that often resulted in precious equipment getting destroyed.

None of her senpai's were around at that time, Kira was training, Hanataro was too timid and they might hurt him...

So Misaki decided to try something out. She has seen her senpai's chase out rowdy 11th Division recruits before, so she learned quite a few tricks from Fujihara-senpai.

Fujihara-senpai was strict and she was scary when she wanted to be. She was currently tending to a patient so Misaki didn't want to disturb her.

Also, she has been working here for at least a few months in Shinigami Years already... Maybe her probation would end soon.

Peeking her head out of the General Emergency Relief Station doors, she smiled at the rowdy newcomers as she spoke.

"Excuse me, but could you guys go away?"

The drunk 11th Division recruits (Lucky Renji was smart and didn't go around wrecking things) looked at her in annoyance.

"No, why don't _yoooou_ go away? Wimp from the 4th Division..."

Misaki sighed. She had expected this.

She gave them her best angry albeit creepy Unohana-taicho smile as she let her reiatsu spike.

Cold winds blew at them from inside the door to add to the scary effect.

Misaki sweatdropped as she saw the 11th Division recruits run away immediately, as if on impulse.

Who knew that actually worked?

Maybe she should teach that trick to Hanataro-chan!

* * *

Misaki dressed in the special pink shihakusho and white hat that was worn by the medical help at the General Emergency Relief Station.

She sighed.

Misaki shook her head as she recalled what happened yesterday...

_**Flashback:**_

"Shinozaki-san. You will be taking your first assignment in exactly 10 minutes from now. You will be attempting to heal the cut of a shinigami. Unohana-taicho will be watching and I will take over if anything is wrong."

Misaki gulped as she walked into the room, first examining the patient. Unohana-taicho was watching, and she will do her best for the patient.

She then placed her hands over the patient's cut.

It was a cut on his back, but a very minor one. She summoned her reiatsu and was about to start to heal the shinigami when Fujihara-senpai suddenly stopped her.

Unohana-taicho had a small frown on her face as she signalled to Fujihara-senpai to take over.

"Shinozaki-san, I take it? Meet me in my office tomorrow at 4?"

Misaki froze as she heard Unohana-taicho say to her.

"Y-yes, Unohana-taicho."

She gulped as she wondered where she had gone wrong. She was doing everything precisely...

How could she have made a mistake?

She has been revising the procedure over and over in her head and she practised whenever she could...

But she failed, didn't she?

* * *

Misaki wondered what Unohana-taicho would tell her.

It was almost 4pm.

Sighing sadly, she made her way to Unohana-taicho's office.

It had been a long time since she joined the 4th Division, and this was the first time she has been called to see Unohana-taicho.

Fujihara-senpai had simply shook her head, telling her that even she did not know what Unohana-taicho wanted to see her for.

Knocking gently on the wooden door, she heard Unohana-taicho's kind voice telling her to come in.

Pushing open the door, she was quite shocked to see Kira there as well.

She bowed and nodded at Kira.

Unohana gave a smile.

"Ah, Shinozaki-san, you're here as well. Do take a seat."

Misaki took a seat, seeing that Kira has done so as well.

Unohana began, her voice taking on a more business-like tone.

"Because of your outstanding performances, I have seen fit to promote both of you."

Unohana must've seen the puzzled look on her face, because she continued.

"Fujihara and Isane has reported that you have demonstrated good moral qualities and that you are quick learners. Both of you are excellent at Kido and hard workers. Therefore..."

Unohana gave them each a scroll.

"Kira-san will be promoted to a seat in the 5th Division, while Shinozaki-san will be promoted to a seat in the 8th Division."

Misaki blinked.

A look of happiness flitted across Kira's face at the thought of being promoted, and to the 5th Division. Misaki smiled. Kira had been aiming to be in the 5th Division ever since Hinamori went there (Ahem...)

But she was being promoted to the 8th Division. She was going to be a seated officer there, and sadly she didn't know anything about the 8th Division...

Unohana dismissed them.

Kira bowed before rushing off, presumably to find Hinamori or Renji.

Misaki stayed behind as she asked Unohana the question that has been bugging her since yesterday.

"Unohana-taicho... If I may ask, where did I go wrong yesterday?"

She was scared that she might be impolite... Misaki had heard stories from Isane about scary Unohana.

"Ah... Shinozaki-san. Another reason I promoted you was because I found that your reiatsu was unsuitable for healing."

Misaki was confused.

"Shinozaki-san. You are good with kido control. You have a lot of talent. However... it seems that you don't know how much reiatsu you were releasing yesterday. If I had allowed you to continue, you might have injured the patient with that reiatsu of yours."

_Her... reiatsu?_

Unohana took out some documents and looked through them as she continued speaking.

"However, the amount of reiatsu was too much for a shallow cut, but it was just right for the amount needed for a more serious injury, for example a stab in the chest. Your reiatsu would heal the deep wound quickly. If I had you heal a person with a stab in the chest rather than a small cut, you would have done fine. However, I promoted you not only because your reiatsu was risky, but also because I feel you have potential somewhere else."

Unohana stacked up the documents as she finished.

"I hope your question is answered, Shinozaki-san."

Misaki looked at her, stunned. However, she smiled at Unohana.

She was glad that her captain, or rather, her former captain was frank with her. Misaki wouldn't have liked it if Unohana sugarcoated her words.

"Yes. Thank you, Unohana-taicho!"

"Wait. One more thing."

Misaki froze in her tracks. She gulped as she turned around.

"Shinozaki-san, could you come over to the 4th Division once a while? We will need your help dealing with the unwanted guests from the 11th Division. Also, you are welcome to join us when we are performing our ikebana exhibition."

Misaki nodded, before thanking Unohana-taicho.

She bowed before walking hurriedly out of the room, before gently shutting the door behind her.

Making her way to her room, she let out a tired sigh as she slowly unravelled the scroll, scanning across its contents.

...

**Shinozaki Misaki**

**Promotion to 8th Division, 8th Seat**

**Signed,**

**Unohana Retsu**

**Isane Kotetsu**

**Shunsui Kyoraku**

**Nanao Ise**

...

A small smile appeared on her face.

She was expected to be there by 3 in the afternoon tomorrow.

Making her way to her room, she started to pack her belongings as she frowned.

Was it alright to drop in on the 10th Division after she had moved into her new room later?

Misaki hasn't seen Toshiro in a while... She had heard that he was promoted to the 3rd Seat already, but both of them had been busy. Him with his new duties, and her with her medical duties.

If she didn't see him now, she might not have another chance to see him. Now that she was a seated officer, that meant she was going to be more busy.

Hefting up her luggage, she walked out of her room sadly. She had left her pink shihakusho on the bed to return to them and she now donned her black shihakusho once again, her zanpaktou hanging by her side.

She smiled as she walked past Kira's room and it was still full of his belongings. He was probably still with Hinamori or Renji...

Walking out, she knew she was in the right direction when she saw Kira talking happily to Hinamori outside the 5th Division Barracks. She didn't see Gin anywhere, though that was because he had been promoted to Captain of the 3rd Division.

She shunpoed past them, deciding to find Hinamori later.

After dropping off her belongings at the room with her name on it at the 8th, she slipped the scroll into her pocket as she went off to the 10th Division.

* * *

Knocking on Toshiro's door, she blinked when on the other side, she suddenly heard Toshiro yelling.

"MATSUMOTO!"

Misaki blinked as the door swung open. Misaki beamed when she saw that it was Rangiku.

"Misaki! Great timing, please cover me while I run from my 3rd Seat~"

Rangiku shunpoed away just as Toshiro appeared.

"MATSUMO- Misaki?! What are you doing here?"

Misaki sighed as she took out a bag of amanatto and handed it to him.

"I came to visit you, Toshi-kun."

She was quite surprised when Toshiro didn't yell at her for the nickname.

"Crazy cat lady. I heard you got promoted."

Misaki raised an eyebrow, and Toshiro explained, sighing as he plopped down beside his desk, casually popping amanatto into his mouth.

"One of Matsumoto and Shiba Taicho's drinking buddies is the captain of the 8th division."

Misaki rubbed her head. Her new captain drank?

Toshiro sighed, putting down the bag of amanatto and picking up a pen.

"So why are you here, exactly?"

"I don't know. I've got nothing to do until tomorrow, and I guess that I missed you." Misaki said with a straight face, as she stared into space.

Toshiro blinked as his face turned pink.

"What? It's the truth, Toshi-kun! Besides," Misaki said as she smiled amusedly at his reaction.

"You're a Third Seat now... I have lots of catching up to do."

Toshiro inwardly smiled. Misaki was as competitive as ever.

He started to sign some paperwork, before he took a piece of amanotto, lazily tossing it towards Misaki.

"Catch."

She was briefly surprised at the sudden flying sugar-coated bean as she caught it in the air with her hand before popping it in her mouth, smiling at the familiar gesture.

"Thanks."

She beamed at her white-haired friend. Toshiro indifferently started to read through another piece of paperwork.

Misaki pulled a chair and sat by him, simply enjoying his company. Same went for Toshiro, even though he would never admit it.

He signed against the piece of paperwork that his Lieutenant and Captain were too lazy to do.

However, a small smile appeared on his face.

"No problem."


	8. How Interesting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

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* * *

Misaki fidgeted she stood at the courtyard of 8th Division.

She was standing alongside the Vice-Captain Nanao Ise. The vice-captain was very pleased to have gotten a new recruit, because apparently, the 8th Division wasn't very popular. Misaki had to wonder why though- So far the Shinigami from the 8th were all very friendly. The vice-captain seemed strict but even so she had a warm feeling about her.

She hadn't met the captain yet, though.

According to Nanao, they had a sort of welcoming parade to welcome new recruits as a batch or new seated officers.

Nanao stood in front of the assembled shinigami. Holding her trademark book in one hand, she used the other to adjust the position of the rimless spectacles lying on the ridge off her nose.

"Everyone... Please welcome our new 8th Seat, Shinozaki Misaki."

Misaki grinned impishly at them from behind Nanao, bowing slightly at them.

"Please take care of me."

Misaki smiled brightly at them as she gave yet another bow.

Murmurs were heard across the courtyard. Despite the murmurs, Misaki didn't feel any sort of negativity from them. In fact, the aura the shinigami gave off was welcoming and warm. Sweeping a glance across the cohort with her eyes, Misaki was encouraged to see all, if not most of their faces decorated with small smiles.

"My, my! We haven't had someone so young in our division ever since Nanao-chan!"

A voice sang happily as a person shunpoed in front of the cohort and beamed down at her.

Misaki smiled back.

The man wore a pretty pink flowered kimono draped over his uniform and a straw hat rested on his head. His long brown and curly hair was tied in a low and small ponytail at the back of his head, with two pins sticking out of his hair. A thick strand hung loosely in his face. Despite the shadows the straw hat cast over his face, she could clearly see a pair of brown twinkling eyes and a good-natured smile.

However, Nanao didn't seem too pleased. Her mouth straightened into a thin line as her glasses flashed dangerously. She looked at him sternly as she spoke, a hint of disapproval lacing her voice.

"Kyoraku-taicho. You're late."

The man looked at her sheepishly as he then straightened up, adjusting his hat.

"Ah... Sorry, my Nanao-chan, Misaki-chan!"

Upon seeing the confused expression on Misaki's face, the man beamed before chuckling heartily, before ruffling her already-messy hair.

"Let me introduce myself, Misaki-chan. My name is Kyoraku Shunsui, and I'll be your taicho in the time you serve the 8th Division."

* * *

"Kyoraku-taicho..."

Misaki blinked as Nanao twitched, her glasses flashing dangerously as her grip strengthened on her book.

Why?

The reason came into the form of her captain napping peacefully at his table, an empty sake bottle lying beside him.

Misaki cowered dramatically at the furious aura that Nanao gave off.

She shook her head as she imitated Nanao's annoyed sigh.

Nanao had just been giving her a tour around the 8th Division premises. To be honest, even with a lieutenant like Nanao around to organise things, the place was still slightly disorganised and the soldiers seemed the type who would waste their time at night drinking sake and partying around.

Misaki never understood why they liked sake so much... Once she caught a whiff of it and it smelled weird.

Well, but what did Misaki know? She was only a little kid, after all!

**Whack.**

Misaki winced from the sudden loud sound as she looked up to see Nanao standing by the captain's desk, with the book held high over her head. The annoyed look on Nanao's face grew as the captain didn't even stir from his deep slumber.

**WHAAACK!**

Kyoraku sat up sleepily as he looked up at his furious lieutenant.

"Ah... Nanao-chan! What is it?"

He said, seeming oblivious to her deadly glare.

Nanao returned the book to it's original position in her hand. She calmly adjusted her glasses, all the while giving off a scary vibe.

"Kyoraku-taicho."

Nanao spoke in a clipped and serious tone.

"All the while, you have been sleeping here, but undoubtedly after you drank. Not only that..."

Misaki wondered if Nanao and Toshiro were related somehow. The temperature in Kyoraku-taicho's office felt like it had just dropped by about 20 degrees... Even though she herself had an icy zanpaktou, she had never experienced someone other than her Toshi-kun actually pulling off the 'Scare people by making the room colder' trick successfully. Now she could add her lieutenant to the list.

Nanao then continued, her voice calm but her fury was evident.

"You have not even signed any paperwork."

No wonder Nanao was so pissed. Both of them had already completed the tasks for the day, only to find their captain napping away~

Kyoraku seemed oblivious to her fury. He sheepishly gave her a smile as he tried to explain himself.

"Well, I found Matsumoto-fukutaicho's secret stash, I couldn't help myself, Nanao-chan! There's plenty of time, Nanao-chan!"

"All these are due tomorrow."

Nanao pointed at the giant mountain of paperwork as she deadpanned.

Misaki jumped as Nanao suddenly turned behind to look at her.

Calmly adjusting her glasses, Nanao spoke.

"Misaki-chan. You have an ice-based zanpaktou, am I correct?"

Misaki gulped as she nodded, at the same time wondering how Nanao knew.

"Please do me this favour, Misaki-chan."

The meaning of Nanao's words dawned on her. An evil grin appeared on Misaki's face as she took a step forward.

"Ok then, Nanao-chan!"

Nanao smiled.

"Kyoraku-taicho. You are not to leave this room until each and every sheet of these paperwork are looked through and signed. Misaki-chan, you have my permission to do the honour of making sure Kyoraku-taicho stays in his office."

Misaki sweatdropped. She was starting to think that this was a bit dramatic, but never mind!

She took another step forward as Kyoraku looked between the lieutenant and the 8th Seat in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

"Gomen, Kyoraku-taicho..."

Misaki unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Kyoraku, honestly feeling the tiniest bit guilty to be using her zanpaktou in such a weird manner, and for going to freeze her new captain.

"_Glimmer, Tsukiko Yuki."_

There was a sudden flash of light as the temperature of the room really decreased.

Nanao signalled for her to follow her out.

As they shut the door to Kyoraku-taicho's office, they suddenly heard a loud complain coming from inside the room they just left.

"You're so cruel, Nanao-chan!"

* * *

**Omake**

* * *

"Misaki-chaaan!"

Misaki turned around in surprise as she wondered who was calling her name. The voice sounded a little familiar, But Misaki couldn't place who it was just yet.

It was about 7pm in the evening. She had just finished her duties for the day and she had told Toshiro that she might be coming around to visit (Or rather, bother) him today after her work.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm. Misaki blinked as she was suddenly brought somewhere by someone using shunpo.

Shaking her head in disorientation, she realised that she was now standing... in a bar?!

Just a minute ago, Misaki could've sworn she was walking across the courtyard of the 8th Division and back to her room.

How on earth did she end up in a bar?!

Not only that, she was too young to consume alcohol. Not like she would drink alcohol even when she's grown up.

Turning around, she heard a happy chuckle as her eyes focused on a familiar busty and beautiful lady, who was currently leaning forward and smiling at her mischievously.

Well, looks like she wouldn't be seeing Toshi-kun today, either.

Misaki shook her head in bemusement at being kidnapped as she let out a tired sigh.

"Rangiku-chan... As much as I love being around you, why did you bring me here?"

* * *

_To Be Continued XD_

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's a short, late and very random update. I'm so sorry about that.**

**What do you think about this chapter?**

**Review if you want me to continue. Tell me if you want me to continue the Omake's.**

**By the way, 'Gomen' means Sorry in Japanese.**

**Don't forget to review, favourite and follow :3 Thank you for reading!**


	9. Work

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!**

**Warning: This chapter is mostly Misaki doing tasks and interacting with random people. If Yumichika, Gin, Byakuya, Kurotsuchi, 13th Division people and Toshiro are random.**

**However, there's always the omake at the end ^^**

**Review if you want more ^^**

* * *

Misaki smiled.

The 8th Division was a pleasant place to be.

It wasn't stressful like at the 4th...

Rather it was more of a relaxed 'Let's go party!' manner.

Well, Nanao tried to make it an orderly place where work comes before play, but still, it was sort of chaotic at times even under Nanao's supervision.

Yawning a little, Misaki diverted her attention towards the little list of tasks (ahem *chores) that Nanao had given her for the day.

...

_1. Deliver a stack of paperwork to the 11th Division _(Misaki had snuck a peek and realized that it was charges for... Sake?!)

_2. Collect paperwork from the 3rd Division_

_3. Collect paperwork from 6th Division_

_4. Collect paperwork from the 12th Division _(Shiver...)

_5. Drop off a stack of paperwork at the 13th Division_

_6. Drop off paperwork at the 10th Division _( ;D)

...

Misaki sighed as she picked up a stack of paperwork she was quite sure would never get signed, seeing as they were for the 11th Division.

But hey, maybe she would see Renji there...

It wouldn't be so bad if he was there!

* * *

And of course, Renji wasn't at the 11th Division.

Apparently, he had been transferred to the 5th Division a little while ago...

She had asked a random guy standing by the entrance of the 11th. He had been, urm, nice enough to answer, but he still eyed her like he wanted to challenge her to a fight.

The guy promptly started to ignore her when she asked him where the captain's office was.

Sighing in annoyance, Misaki turned around, the paperwork in hand as she walked towards the building that was smack in the middle of the courtyard.

There had to be someone there, or at least that giant building had to have some place she could drop off the paperwork.

Knocking on the door, she nudged it open, before peering into the building.

Her first impression?

It was terribly disorganised.

There was overturned chairs on the floor, some even missing a few legs. One of the curtains had been torn down and lay on the floor in a heap.

Not to mention the gang of guys in the middle of the room fighting.

She gulped as they suddenly looked up at her with narrowed and hostile eyes.

"Ehhh. What's a kid doing here?"

Misaki twitched at the remark that might as well be an insult.

Turning around, she stalked off into a random corridor only to bump into somebody.

"I'm sorry!"

She looked up and froze when she realised the man looked terribly familiar.

The man turned down to glance at her.

"Hm? Aren't you the kid from the other day?"

_Eep!_

It was that strange man she bumped into on her first day!

Misaki twitched, remembering how he had snidely remarked about how ugly her hair was. How mean of him.

Remembering that the man was probably of a higher seat than her and she needed to respect him, she gulped slightly as she nodded and smiled at the strange man, once again taking his weird appearance.

"Yes, I am, sir. "

Misaki clutched the paperwork in her arms as she took in the feathers in the man's hair and the matching orange scarf around his shoulders. Hm. Weird but classy.

The man looked down at her with his purple eyes.

"Hm. Name and division?"

"Shinozaki Misaki. 8th Division."

The man fixed his eyes on hair as if surveying her appearance.

"I am Ayasegawa Yumichika. 5th Seat."

He said. At first glance, it seemed like he was introducing himself but there was sort of a proud undertone in his words that make it seem like a proclamation.

He continued, straightening up from the wall and leaning over, his eyes narrowing.

"Say... Your hair seems to have improvement from the other day, but it is still distasteful. "

He wrinkled his nose and Misaki twitched at the remark.

Today, her hair tied in a low ponytail that was relatively neat and rested on her shoulder.

She liked it that way, but this guy here seemed to have a problem with it. Misaki however, kept silent. After all, she was in the 11th Division right now, where it was always dangerous.

"If you tied it this way instead, it wouldn't be a waste of beauty..."

He gave a flamboyant gesture as he stepped back, his finger tapping his chin in deep thought.

Misaki sweatdropped as she spoke, swallowing slightly before interrupting him as politely as possible.

"Ayasegawa-san? I was supposed to bring this over?"

She held out the stack of paperwork for him to inspect.

Yumichika looked at the paperwork she was holding out.

"I see."

He took the paperwork before frowning.

"Ah.. Taicho wouldn't like this..."

Misaki let a sigh of relief as Yumichika turned away from her with the paperwork.

Seizing the chance to escape, she immediately shunpoed back towards the entrance and out of the Division, glad that she escaped the scary place.

"Wait- Hm?"

At that moment, Yumichika turned around again, only to raise an eyebrow at the empty space behind him.

"Where did that girl go? Pity, I was going to give her a few tips."

Yumichika shrugged as he turned around, intending to find his buddy Ikkaku and his Taicho.

* * *

Misaki grinned as she found herself standing at the entrance of the 3rd Division, her next destination.

Cautiously walking into the compound, she started to walk towards the building in the middle of the compound.

Unlike the 11th Division, the atmosphere was more peaceful as compared to the rowdy 11th Division atmosphere.

It was sort of too quiet for her liking, though...

She tensed up as someone suddenly placed a hand on her head.

Turning around in surprise, she beamed unsurely at the man standing behind her.

It was then did Misaki notice the white haori that the silver-haired man was wearing.

"That haori..."

She pointed at the haori, her eyes widening.

Gin's expression remained the same. His eyes in slits and the grin from his face not disappearing.

"Hai. May I ask why you're in my division, Misa-chan? Why, do you want a transfer~"

Misaki blinked before shaking her head profusely, bending down in a bow.

"Ah, Ichimaru-_taicho_, no thank you... I'm here to collect some paperwork?"

She straightened up and looked up at the man.

If possible, the grin on Gin's face became wider.

"My, my~ Ya sure are observant, Misa-chan!"

Misaki smiled.

Gin got promoted as well... That was good news :3

He suddenly disappeared and reappeared again, this time bending over and holding out some paperwork.

Misaki took it, uttering a thanks as she smiled up at the nice captain.

"Thank you, Ichimaru-taicho! See you next time!"

She shunpoed away hastily, off to the next division.

The silver-haired man looked up, his eyes still closed and the grin on his face as wide as ever. He held up a hand as he watched the young girl shunpo away.

"Bye bye~"

* * *

After collecting more paperwork from the 6th Division, 12th Division and the 13th Division, Misaki came to a conclusion.

The newly-appointed 6th Division Taicho, Kuchiki Byakuya, apparently also brother to Rukia, was really unfriendly. He made her quite glad that Kyoraku-taicho was her captain.

When she knocked on the door and entered, bowing, his only reaction was a nod.

"Are you here for the paperwork?"

For some reason, he sent her a cold glare as she nodded and took the stack sitting on the edge of his desk.

The atmosphere was so cold... Which was ironic since Misaki heard that he had a what? Flower-type zanpaktou?

Anyways, Misaki didn't think that she would survive a day in the 6th Division. She heard it was the unofficial division for rules and laws. Misaki could really careless about rules. Hehe, rules were made to be broken, right?

Hastily bowing, she took the paperwork before shunpoeing away from the grumpy captain and away from the place.

About the 12th Division...

Let's just say the Taicho was creepy and asked to experiment on her, which she declined, of course.

She practically took the paperwork and ran away.

Well, at least her visit to the 13th was enjoyable.

Ukitake Taicho was very kind to her. The 3rd Seat, Miyako Shiba was a beautiful person. There was an air of smartness and gentleness around her that made Misaki like her immediately in the brief period they talked together.

There was a pair of shinigami, Kiyona and Sentaro that seemed to respect Ukitake and the higher seats a lot.

She even got to see Rukia again!

It was quite nice talking to her...

The lieutenant seemed to be a rough person at first, but he was actually quite down to earth and kind. He was married to Miyako, and Misaki could instantly see why they loved each other.

The people at the 13th was nice... It seemed that even those who weren't nice by nature became nice after joining the 13th XD.

Misaki dropped off the paperwork and waved goodbye before heading to the last stop for the day:

The 10th Division.

* * *

Holding the bunch of paperwork in hand, Misaki knocked on the door.

"TAICHO! MATSUMOTO! COME BACK HERE!"

Misaki blinked as the door opened in her face and two figures shunpoed past her before disappearing.

Hm...

This seemed all too familiar.

Toshiro arrived at the door, glaring at the lazy captain and his lazy lieutenant as they disappeared, going off to drink again.

"TAI- Misaki?"

A look of surprise crossed his expression.

Misaki grinned.

"Yo, Toshi-kun~ I'm supposed to drop you some paperwork."

She beamed at him before she stepped inside, handing the bundle of paperwork in the process.

Toshiro twitched.

"Don't call me that... Crazy cat lady."

Misaki's smile froze in place as she turned around and sighed, shaking her head as she pouted jokingly.

"I've been calling you that for such a long time now, you're still not used to it?"

Toshiro sent her a stern look.

Misaki sighed. She figured that the day Toshi-kun got sick of her nickname for him had arrived.

"Well then, _Toshi-kun_, I'll call you by your proper title... When you become a captain. Then you stop calling me a crazy cat lady because you like cats too and by calling me that you're sorta being a hypocrite. Sounds good?"

She smiled at him. Toshiro sighed in resignment as he sat down at his small table for 3rd Seats.

"Anything you say."

Misaki inwardly laughed at that.

She walked over to him.

"OK, let's seal the deal!"

She stuck out her pinky finger towards him.

Toshiro gave an exasperated sigh. Misaki half-expected him to tell her off for being so childish.

(But really, she was only like this when around Toshiro... It was something she couldn't help but do)

To her surprise, Toshiro complied as he linked his own pinky finger with hers before releasing it quickly.

His face was pink from embarrassment. For a moment there, Misaki had to admit that he looked really cute. Not that she would ever admit that...

Walking over to a nearby couch, she looked to Toshiro if she could have permission if she could sit down.

With his nod of approval, she plopped down onto the sofa and groaned.

She had been delivering paperwork for the whole day and practically ran around the whole Seireitei several times.

Do you have any idea how_ gigantic_ Seireitei was?

Even with shunpo, with her current proficiency in the art it would take her at the very least 15 minutes to get from a division to another.

She could go faster if she wanted to, but it would deplete her stamina.

Closing her eyes, Misaki rubbed her head with one of her hands as she suddenly recalled something.

Looking at her snowy-haired friend, she tilted her head as she asked.

"Hey, Toshi-kun... Didn't you say you would treat me to ice-cream long ago? It's been nearly 3 years, you know~"

To be honest, 3 years in Shinigami years wasn't very long at all... She was just being dramatic.

She had graduated about a little less than year ago, and Toshiro made that promise before Misaki even got into the Shin O' Academy.

Nearly 3 years, right?

Toshiro glanced up from his paperwork with a thoughtful look that quickly turned into one of mild annoyance at the way Misaki seemed to be hinting that he did not keep his promises.

Well, unlike Misaki, Toshiro very much upheld the rules. There was no way he would ever break a promise intentionally, not to mention one that he made with _her._

Sighing, he picked up his pen and signed one of the new documents on his table. Since his captain and vice-captain were too lazy and din't do anything but drink, that left him all the work to do.

He shot her a dry look.

"Shut up."

Misaki grinned before turning away, leaning against the back of the couch with her eyes closed.

The grin then faltered and was replaced by a thin line.

"You know, if you need help with your work, you can always ask me to help you out, y'know..."

Toshiro blinked, not at all startled by the change of mood, having already grown used to it.

"I know , this is the paperwork for my Division. I do not wish to drag you into my work, baka."

He proceeded to look through another document, signing it as he glanced up quickly to see Misaki opening one eye and looking at him.

Toshiro quickly looked back to his work as he placed the signed document into the 'Completed' pile.

Misaki let out a soft sigh, as she then sat up.

"I see."

She stood up and gave him her usual smile. Toshiro turned pink as he watched her continue.

"Well, I'll see you soon, Toshiro."

It was then did Toshiro recall what she had said about the ice-cream he still owed her. Misaki was a crazy ice-cream obsessed idiot, but she was a cute crazy ice-cream obsessed idiot.

He can not believe he just thought that. If Misaki knew, she would never stop teasing him. Oh, the horror.

However, she did shut up (for a while) when he asked her to... Toshiro actually felt slightly guilty for some reason as he thought of the ice-cream he owed her.

Misaki waved and was about to disappear out the door when Toshiro called out, just loudly enough for her to hear.

"Oi, Misaki... When are you free?"

She gave a little jump at the question and a small smile crossed over his features in amusement.

Misaki gawked at him and he resisted the heavy urge to roll his eyes. Seriously, was it that hard for her to believe what she was hearing?

"Next Sunday. What about it?"

She eyed him almost suspiciously. Toshiro sighed, before putting down his precious pen and getting up, walking over in front of her.

"I'll see you then."

Toshiro was exasperated at her surprised expression. He raised one of his eyebrows.

"You do want your ice-cream, correct?"

He groaned to himself about sticking to his darn promise as he looked away from her face, feeling oddly satisfied when he saw a smile appear on her face.

Misaki suddenly hugged him (Seriously, she was so unpredictable) and he felt his face turn pink again, awkwardly patting her back, however a warm feeling growing inside him. Thankfully her hugs didn't suffocate him like how Matsumoto did with her...

Darn it. He didn't want to go there.

The point was... Toshiro actually liked it when Misaki hugged him.

She released him and smiled, before thanking him happily.

_Sigh..._

Ice-cream certainly made her happy.

What an idiot...

Still, Toshiro couldn't help but give a tiny little smile as he watched the idiot wave at him before disappearing suddenly.

* * *

**Omake~**

* * *

"Misaki-chan~ I want you meet my drinking buddies~"

Rangiku pushed her towards a table where a group of people were seated at.

"Izuru-kun? Abarai-kun? What are you doing here?!"

Misaki gaped at the blonde. Hm, Hinamori wouldn't like it if she knew Kira was out drinking... Hehe, let's just say that Hinamori worried about Kira in more than one way XD

Renji, on the other hand, she wasn't that surprised, but still...

She gulped as she noticed a man with feathers in his hair.

"Um, hello, Ayasegawa-san!"

The man scoffed before nodding, turning around to ask something to the guy sitting beside him... Who was bald and wore orange eyeliner... How unique, she guessed?!

According to Rangiku, the guy who was bald and had orange eyeliner at the sides of his eye was called Ikkaku Madarame, and he was the 3rd Seat of the 11th Division. He was even scarier than Yumichika...

Lastly, Rangiku pulled her to someone at the side who was already noticeably drunk.

"Ah~ This is Isshin Shiba-taicho, my captain!"

Misaki smiled at the captain... So this guy was Toshiro's and Rangiku's captain?

He had jet black hair that was slightly spiky and brown eyes. The captain was currently taking a swig from his sake bottle, a goofy grin on his face.

"Eh... Who's this, Matsumoto-fukutaicho?"

"Ah, her name is Shinozaki Misaki, taicho!"

Rangiku smiled, bending over as she glomped Misaki.

Misaki sweatdropped at them treating her like she wasn't there.

Isshin suddenly gave a big smile as hearts appeared in his eyes.

"Shinozaki Misaki?! Kinda reminds me of the most beautiful lady I saw in the Human World a while ago... Her name was..."

Isshin trailed off, frowning in what seemed to be deep thought as he took another swig.

"Kurosaki Masaki?"

He shrugged, before toppling over and falling asleep, a chibi bubble appearing from his nose as he gave a light snore.

Suddenly, the door of the bar was pulled open by someone and Misaki frowned... Before a grin appeared on her face. (Albeit a slightly evil and angry one)

Skipping over, she smiled at the duo, bowing slightly.

"Hello, Ukitake-taicho...Kyoraku-taicho."

Kyoraku looked down at her in surprise, adjusting his straw hat as he did so.

"Ah, Misaki-chan! What are you doing here, I wonder?"

Misaki shrugged.

"Rangiku-chan sort of kidnapped me and brought me here..." She trailed off, before turning to her captain.

"What about you, Kyoraku-taicho? I seem to recall Nanao-chan telling you to stay in your office and finish your work."

She smiled up at him accusingly.

Kyoraku gave a sheepish laugh, looking down at his young 8th Seat.

Just his luck that he bumped into the one person who respected Nanao the most here...

* * *

**A/N:**

**So well, for the omake, I sort of changed things up a bit. Instead of meeting Masaki when Isshin is on a mission, he actually saw her before that and sort of fell for her, before finding out her name from somewhere XD**

**Remember to review, favourite and follow.**

**Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter :)**


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